While Steven Miller is working wonders at deporting aliens with traffic citations, a prisoner swap arranged by the State Department resulted in the release of Dahuid Ortiz, a dual U.S.–Venezuelan citizen convicted of triple homicide. According to Liz Oyer, the former pardon attorney at the Department of Justice, Ortiz had traveled to Spain in 2016 with the intent to kill a lawyer he believed was involved with his wife. Instead, he murdered three unrelated individuals and fled to Venezuela, where he was tried and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Despite that conviction, Ortiz was recently freed as part of a diplomatic exchange—reportedly negotiated with significant involvement from Marco Rubio and approved under the influence of Donald Trump. Ortiz was seen smiling aboard a U.S. government aircraft following his release.
What makes this incident particularly alarming is the apparent absence of vetting by national security experts. Traditionally, the DOJ’s National Security Division would be responsible for evaluating any prisoners included in swaps like this. But according to #LizOyer, many of those officials have been fired or sidelined, leaving critical gaps in oversight. Now, not only was a convicted murderer returned to the U.S. without scrutiny, but the State Department has also refused to answer questions about his release or current whereabouts. This episode highlights the dangers of sidelining expertise in favor of political deals, raising questions about how national security is being managed and who is being prioritized.
