Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has demanded El Salvador release hundreds of Venezuelans who were deported from the United States, who he described as being “kidnapped,” after his Salvadoran counterpart earlier proposed a prisoner swap.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele on Sunday proposed sending 252 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. and imprisoned in his country to Venezuela, in exchange for taking "political prisoners" held by Venezuela.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele proposed a swap in which more than 200 Venezuelan migrants deported there from the US would be traded for the same number of political prisoners held by Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.