The U.S. raises its travel alert to the highest level and urges its citizens to leave Venezuela

The United States government urged its citizens and legal residents on Wednesday to leave Venezuela immediately due to the risk of arbitrary detention, torture, and widespread violence, according to the latest travel advisory issued by the State Department.

The warning, rated at level 4 (“Do Not Travel”), describes the situation in Venezuela as one of the most dangerous in the world.

The statement indicates that there is no consular capacity to provide assistance or evacuation for U.S. citizens, due to the closure of the embassy in Caracas since March 2019.

"The Department stated, 'Do not travel to Venezuela for any reason.'"

"Any citizen or legal resident of the United States who remains in the country must leave immediately, even if they hold a Venezuelan passport or one from another nationality."

The document outlines that Venezuelan security forces have arrested American citizens without notifying Washington or allowing them contact with lawyers or family members.

Former inmates and human rights organizations reported that detainees have been subjected to torture, beatings, and extreme deprivation, including techniques such as simulated drowning.

In addition, the warning highlights critical levels of crime, with homicides, kidnappings, and violent robberies occurring throughout the country. Political protests, the text notes, are brutally repressed and often lead to riots and looting.

The Department also warned about the presence of Colombian terrorist groups in border areas with Colombia, Brazil, and Guyana, as well as serious shortages of gasoline, electricity, drinking water, food, and medicine.

The sanitary conditions, the report adds, prevent even minimal medical care.

Hospitals lack basic supplies, and medications—both over-the-counter and prescription—are difficult to obtain.

U.S. authorities reminded that there have been no commercial flights between the two countries since the Department of Transportation suspended all services in 2019 for aviation safety reasons.

"There is no safe way to travel or stay in Venezuela," the warning concludes. "Even approaching the border or entering the country without a visa can result in indefinite detention without consular access."

The update of the notice comes amid rising tension between Caracas and Washington, following President Donald Trump's warning that U.S. operations against criminal networks linked to Nicolás Maduro's regime "go far beyond" a campaign of diplomatic pressure.