Overview
- The State Department renewed its Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory, telling U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents in Venezuela to depart immediately and warning, “Do not travel to Venezuela for any reason.”
- Officials cite risks including wrongful detention, torture, kidnapping, terrorism, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest and poor health infrastructure.
- The advisory notes Venezuelan security forces have held U.S. citizens for up to five years without due process, and the U.S. government is generally not informed or allowed to visit detainees.
- With diplomatic ties severed since 2019 and the embassy closed, Washington says it cannot provide emergency services or consular assistance to Americans detained in Venezuela.
- The warning follows a regional U.S. military buildup and more than 20 strikes on suspected drug‑trafficking vessels, President Trump’s signals of potential land operations, reported authorization of covert CIA activity and a new Senate war‑powers push to restrict unauthorized force.