After detainee release, US warns Americans: Don't travel to Venezuela

Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald on Jul 25, 2025

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The U.S. State Department has urged Americans not to travel to Venezuela following the release of detained citizens, warning that travelers face the risk of being wrongfully held for extended periods.

The warning was posted Tuesday on the State Department’s social media accounts, four days after President Donald Trump’s administration carried out a prisoner exchange with Nicolás Maduro’s regime, securing the return of ten U.S. citizens or permanent residents in exchange for 252 Venezuelans detained in El Salvador.

“There are no wrongfully detained Americans in Venezuela and we want to keep it that way. Americans who travel to Venezuela or nearby border regions risk being wrongfully detained for months or even years, and release is never a guarantee. You can stop that yourself by not going to Venezuela”, the authorities stated on X, formerly Twitter.

Venezuela has been under a Level 4 travel advisory — “Do Not Travel” —since May 12, 2025.

The State Department explained that this level is assigned based on “local conditions and/or our limited ability to assist in those locations. These places are dangerous and visiting them could jeopardize your health.”

More risks when traveling to Venezuela

In addition to the high risk of wrongful detention, U.S. travelers could be subjected to torture while in custody. Venezuela also faces threats such as terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, violent crime, civil unrest, and poor healthcare infrastructure.

The advisory also warns that the U.S. government has no ability to provide emergency services or consular assistance to American citizens in Venezuela. In March 2019, the State Department withdrew all diplomatic personnel from the U.S. embassy in Caracas and suspended operations. All consular services—routine and emergency—remain suspended until further notice.

“Any individual with U.S. citizenship or any other U.S. residency status in Venezuela should leave the country immediately, including those traveling with Venezuelan or foreign passports. Do not travel to Venezuela for any reason,” the travel alert emphasized.

U.S. authorities stated that Venezuelan security forces have detained U.S. citizens for up to five years without due process. The U.S. government is often not notified of these detentions and is not allowed to visit the detainees.

According to former detainees and independent human rights organizations, those detained were subjected to torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, including severe beatings, prolonged restraint in forced positions, and simulated drowning.

In June, the United States issued high-level travel alerts for 21 countries, including Venezuela and Haiti.

The U.S. government warned its citizens to avoid travel to the following countries: Haiti, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burma, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.