Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and and may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
The United States Department of State re-issued a Level 4 travel warning for people thinking about visiting (or already in) Venezuela. Level 4 is the most urgent notice: a “Do Not Travel” warning.
It appears the warning was issued May 13 — but is now getting a bunch of media attention. This comes a week after the State Department advised Americans (especially LGTBQ people) traveling anywhere in the world to exercise extra caution. The State Department pulled all of its diplomatic people from the embassy in Caracas in 2019. The bulletin was “Reissued after routine periodic review with minor edits pursuant to Department of State standard processes.”
What’s the problem with Venezuela?
“Violent crimes, such as homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking, are common in Venezuela,” the feds say. “Political rallies and demonstrations occur, often with little notice.”
Wow. It sounds like Los Angeles!
“Anti-Maduro demonstrations have elicited a strong police and security force response,” the warning continues, “including the use of tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets against participants, and occasionally devolve into looting and vandalism.”
Lovely. So, what happens if you decide to FAFO? (That stands for, let’s say, “Fool Around, Find Out.”)
“The Department has determined there is a high risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals in Venezuela. Security forces have detained U.S. citizens for up to five years… Colombian terrorist groups operate in Venezuela’s border areas with Colombia, Brazil, and Guyana.
“The U.S. government has no ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Venezuela. U.S. citizens in Venezuela who require consular assistance should try to leave the country as soon as safely possible to do so and should contact a U.S. embassy or consulate in another country.”
So, yeah, maybe lay off those Delta Air Lines partner mileage runs to Venezuela for a while.
Final Approach
The State Department has a Level 4 travel warning (“Do Not Travel”) for Venezuela. Visitors could be wrongfully detained, find themselves in other ugly situations, and more.
Stay safe everywhere you go!
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and and may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
It only “sounds” like Los Angeles if you listen to certain news outlets.