The United States and Venezuela have issued reciprocal travel advisories, each warning their citizens against visiting the other country due to escalating concerns over safety and human rights.
According to a Reuter’s report, on Tuesday, the U.S. State Department raised its travel alert for Venezuela to Level 4: Do Not Travel, citing “a significant and growing risk of wrongful detention” for American citizens. The advisory also referenced threats such as torture, terrorism, kidnapping, civil unrest, violent crime, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure in the country, where the U.S. has no embassy or consular presence.
The U.S. has previously reported instances of Americans being unfairly detained in Venezuela. While one detainee was recently released, others remain in custody.
In a retaliatory move, Venezuela’s government issued its own warning, urging Venezuelans residing in the United States to consider leaving. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil claimed on Telegram that Venezuelans in the U.S. face “a systematic pattern of human rights abuses,” including arbitrary detentions and deportations. He accused U.S. authorities of sending migrants to “concentration camps in third countries.”
Gil also criticized the legacy of former President Donald Trump, who invoked an obscure 1798 law to deport migrants. Venezuela condemned this practice, particularly after deportations reportedly led to detentions in El Salvador’s high-security prisons. The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld a block on the Trump administration’s use of the law, citing inadequate legal protections for migrants.
