A former FBI investigator and international security expert said the recent rise in travel advisory levels for Turks and Caicos has reached a peak due to multiple factors.
Bill Daly, who worked for two of the world's largest international security and research firms after his career with the FBI, spoke with Fox News Digital about the US State Department's recent decision to raise a popular holiday destination to a level 2 travel advisory due to higher levels of crime.
Since the beginning of this year, Turks and Caicos have seen migrant rafts land.
As of February 18, the country had intercepted four ships in 2025, with authorities detaining a total of 296 “irregular immigrants” at that time. On March 4th, the State Department issued a new travel advisory.
Travel warning issued for a tropical destination for spring break that is more popular than crime concerns
Turks and Caicus (istock)
“I think the concern is, just like in our country, who are people coming to and who are going to have criminal elements coming,” Daly said. “And again, a lot of that precipitates whether people incorporate themselves into the culture of society. Can they get jobs? Can they get jobs?
He pointed out that, as the US often sees from Cuba, when there are ships of people coming to the country, people with criminal intent or criminal history may be mixed together.
Spring Break Warning: Most unlikely American tourist spots manifest as a fatal risk
Scene from a trip to Türkiye and Caicos (For Juliana Goodwin/Newsreader)
In his private sector work, Daly, who dealt with some of the most famous cases of lures, ransoms and terror around the world, said the government would not raise travel advisories without serious consideration and opinions from many sources.
According to Daly, illegal immigration alone is not enough to raise travel advisory levels.
In fact, the government is paying great attention to changes in travel advisory levels as these changes could affect the safety and protection of Americans abroad and American assets, which could affect tourism levels such as Turkey and Caicos.
Spring break travelers urged certain precautions to take as they search for missing American college students
Watch: US publishes travel advisory for Turkish and Caicos
“The Department of State will issue these travel advisories based on information they have gathered from both. [and] The countries said “they will also be drawn from the FBI's legal accompaniment.” They are called legats in many embassies around the world. If it's not a specific country, certainly there is a legat responsible for that particular country, such as Türkiye or Caicos. ”
Legats, along with security guards from US embassies around the world, will work with national and local law enforcement agencies to gather information from other intelligence reporting agencies so that the State Department can be notified of the level of danger in a particular area.
The State Department also uses its private partner, overseas security advisory boards, to contribute to local perspectives on crime and help the government make travel advisory decisions.
The Turkish and Americans arrested on Caicos' sleeper pray together while waiting for a “large family.”
Grace Bay Beach, Providencial, Turkish, Caicos (Getty Images)
“They all gather and support us as they begin to contribute to what could be the best interests of the US citizens traveling to these countries,” Daly said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the US embassy in the Bahamas to oversee the American issues of the Turks and Caicos.
Separately, five Americans were arrested last year for Turkish and Caicos for accidentally bringing ammunition into the country.
Watch: Our dad is arrested as a Turkish person, and Caicos speaks after returning home
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They narrowly escaped a 12-year prison term, and the Turks and Caicos updated their laws to provide more tolerance in such cases.
