The US State Department issued an urgent ‘Do Not Travel’ warning for American citizens regarding travel to Venezuela, citing ‘severe risks’ such as kidnapping, wrongful detention, civil unrest, and torture. They also advised those that in the country to leave as urgently as possible.
They added that the State Department does not have an operating embassy or consulate in the South American country, thus they cannot provide routine or emergency consular assistance to American citizens in Venezuela.
“U.S. citizens are at extreme risk of detention when entering Venezuela at any location. They may be unjustly charged with terrorism or other serious crimes and detained for long periods,” the State Department said in a news release Tuesday. “U.S. citizens have been detained upon arrival at land borders, airports, and maritime ports of entry. There is no safe way for Americans to travel to Venezuela.”
Currently, there are more wrongfully detained US citizens in Venezuela than in any other country.
The ‘do not travel’ warning issued for Venezuela isn’t anything new, but as of May 27, the State Department assigned Venezuela its highest Travel Advisory level—Level 4.
The State Department added that US citizens should also “avoid Venezuelan borders with Colombia, Brazil and Guyana” because the borders are not always clearly marked.
Another issue is that the Venezuelan government doesn’t notify the States of any detentions of its citizens. This makes it almost impossible to intervene. Those in detention in Venezuela cannot contact their family members or attorneys, according to the State Department.
“Other foreign nationals in Venezuela are also frequently unjustly detained,” the warning added.
“There is no safe way for Americans to travel to Venezuela.
“[…] The US Department of State recommends that all US citizens in Venezuela leave immediately.”
Even those with dual citizenship or a valid visa are vulnerable, the State Department added.
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