State Department re-issues dire ‘do not travel’ warning for Venezuela

The State Department is again warning Americans not to travel to Venezuela due to high levels of crime and civil unrest under the socialist dictatorship of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The ministry reissued a Level 4 travel advisory, the most serious warning: Do not travel.

“Please do not travel to Venezuela due to crime, civil unrest, kidnappings, and arbitrary enforcement of local law,” a notice on the State Department’s website reads. “Please reconsider travel due to unjust detention, terrorism, and poor medical infrastructure.”

“Violent crimes, including murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and carjacking, are commonplace in Venezuela,” the notice reads.

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“U.S. nationals face a high risk of unjust detention in Venezuela,” the State Department said, noting that security forces have held U.S. citizens for up to five years and that the country generally does not notify the U.S. of detentions or allow visits to U.S. citizens held in the country.

The advisory states that political rallies and demonstrations often take place unannounced.

“Anti-Maduro demonstrations have provoked a forceful response from police and security forces, including the use of tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets against protesters, and have sometimes degenerated into looting and vandalism. Shortages of gasoline, electricity, water, medicines and medical supplies continue in many parts of Venezuela.”

Maduro is running for reelection against Edmundo Gonzalez, a veteran former diplomat who was named the opposition’s main candidate after the Supreme Court upheld a ban on holding public office for primary winner Maria Corina Machado, a move the United States condemned at the time. Machado has since voiced her support for Gonzalez.

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View of the crowded area of ​​Playa Los Cocos, La Guaira, Venezuela. (Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)

The United States last month reimposed oil sanctions on OPEC-member Venezuela, accusing President Maduro of not fully adhering to an agreement with the opposition to guarantee free and fair elections. Recent polls have shown Machado’s backed candidate to have more than twice as much support as Maduro, and opposition members have warned that the ruling Socialist party could take steps to block Gonzalez’s candidacy.

Maduro’s 2018 re-election bid was rejected by Western governments.

In March 2019, the State Department withdrew all diplomats from the U.S. Embassy in Caracas and suspended all consular, routine, and emergency services.

“The U.S. government does not have the capacity to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Venezuela. U.S. citizens in Venezuela who need consular assistance should seek to leave the country as quickly as safely possible and contact a U.S. embassy or consulate in another country.”

Meanwhile, the State Department says Colombian terrorist groups are operating in Venezuela’s border areas with Colombia, Brazil and Guyana.

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Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speaking in 2012. (Reuters)

The notice comes at a time when Venezuelans are fleeing the country in large numbers and heading to the United States.

Federation for American Immigration Reform The report was issued In January, it highlighted that the number of Venezuelans coming to the border had soared from 50,000 in FY21 to nearly 335,000 in FY23.

The report also expressed concerns about the possibility of Venezuelan gang members entering the United States, as well as terrorism given Venezuela’s close ties to Iran, which supports Hezbollah and Hamas. The report also cited past congressional hearings that highlighted Venezuela’s history of providing travel documents to extremists.

Reuters contributed to this report.