The US State Department has advised Americans to leave Venezuela immediately amid reports that armed militias are tracking down US citizens. The US Embassy in Venezuela issued a security alert on January 10 (US time) in the form of a new travel advisory update titled “Do Not Travel to Venezuela; Depart Immediately.”
Venezuela also carries the highest travel advisory level – Level 4, as the US Embassy website cited “severe risks to Americans, including wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure.”
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump told the New York Times in a wide-ranging interview that he expected the US to be running Venezuela and extracting oil from its massive reserves for years to come. “We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” he said. “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.”
On Friday, Trump hosted oil and gas executives at the White House, where he promised them “total safety” as long as they dealt with the US directly and not with Venezuela.
US Embassy warns against armed militia
The security alert sent out on Saturday (US time) issued a warning against reports of armed militias, known as colectivos, blocking roads and searching vehicles for US citizens or the country’s supporters in the wake of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife being captured by US forces.
“US citizens in Venezuela should remain vigilant and exercise caution when traveling by road,” reads the warning, as the embassy also noted that international flights have resumed.
Although the renewed tensions have been fuelled by the recent US attack on Venezuela, warnings against travelling to the country have been in place since 2019.
Americans advised to follow the US Embassy’s action plan
Listing out a number of pointers American citizens should follow right now, the Embassy first stated, “Do not travel to Venezuela.” Thereafter, it advised all US citizens in Venezuela to take precautions to ensure their safety.
Thirdly, it told all US citizens in Venezuela to leave the country as soon as it is safe to do so. Additionally, the security alert recommended that US citizens in Venezuela check flight information to depart the country. It noted that while some commercial airlines have resumed operations from the country, ticket availability could be limited amid high demand.
“US citizens in Venezuela should establish multiple methods of communication with friends and family outside of Venezuela,” it added. “U.S. citizens who choose not to depart should prepare contingency plans for emergency situations, as the U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Venezuela.”
Finally, the US Embassy also told citizens to enroll in the Smart Traveller Enrollment Program and follow it on social media to receive the latest security updates. As per the official US government website, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is “free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals to enroll their trip abroad so the Department of State can accurately and quickly contact them in case of emergency.”