Venezuela’s socialist regime lashed out Monday at the U.S. State Department’s renewed “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory, calling the warning a “racist” and “cynical” political attack, even as reports continue to surface of wrongful detentions, torture, and state-sponsored crime targeting foreigners, including Americans, inside the country.
The advisory — reissued by the U.S. State Department — urges all American citizens in Venezuela to leave the country immediately and warns prospective travelers to avoid entering for any reason. It cites a litany of dangers including arbitrary enforcement of laws, kidnapping, violent crime, and wrongful detentions by security forces loyal to President Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian regime.
“Anyone with U.S. citizenship or any other U.S. residency status in Venezuela should leave the country immediately,” the department warned, emphasizing the lack of consular support following the 2019 closure of the U.S. embassy in Caracas.
In a strongly worded statement, the Maduro regime accused the U.S. of waging a “hostile act” and claimed the travel advisory was part of a broader campaign to undermine Venezuelan sovereignty and spread “political propaganda.” Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry described the warning as an effort to “discredit Venezuela with unfounded accusations,” while deflecting from what it called America’s own “human rights abuses.”
Among the accusations, the regime claimed the United States had “kidnapped” a two-year-old Venezuelan child, Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal — a claim flatly rejected by the American government.
In fact, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security placed the child into protective custody after determining her parents were tied to the Venezuelan-based gang and recently designated terrorist organization Tren de Aragua, and had been involved in serious crimes including extortion and sex trafficking. Both parents had final deportation orders and have since been removed from the United States.
The Maduro government has a lengthy track record of detaining foreign nationals — especially Americans — under vague accusations of espionage or “mercenary” activity. In January, former U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell negotiated the release of six wrongfully imprisoned Americans. Yet at least six more remain unjustly detained, according to U.S. officials.
The State Department reiterated on Monday that U.S. citizens in Venezuela face “a very high risk of wrongful detention,” often without notification to the U.S. government or access to legal assistance.
Foreigners from other nations have also been swept up in the regime’s crackdown. Argentine national Nahuel Gallo was arrested late last year while visiting family, and more than 120 foreign nationals from 25 countries have been detained under similar suspicions.
In one of the most sobering elements of the advisory, the State Department outlined a set of grim recommendations for U.S. citizens who may still travel to Venezuela, including drafting a will, designating power of attorney, establishing a “proof of life” communication plan, and hiring private security.
The advisory also stressed that any emergency evacuation would not involve U.S. government assistance, given the lack of diplomatic presence in Venezuela.
The diplomatic standoff highlights the deepening divide between the United States and Venezuela’s socialist regime. While Washington urges caution and evacuations amid rising reports of lawlessness and repression, Caracas continues to project defiance, painting itself as a victim of Western imperialism.
“Venezuela is a country of peace,” the Foreign Ministry insisted. “Those who wish to visit us with respect and a spirit of brotherhood will always find the doors of a dignified, sovereign and revolutionary people open.”
The travel advisory remains in full effect, as tensions between the two nations persist and Venezuela braces for parliamentary elections later this month that many observers fear will be neither free nor fair.
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What a joke he is! Hey, why don’t you put the elected leader in charge? You know. The one the people elected!