U.S. urges Americans to leave Venezuela immediately amid reports of armed militias and roadblocks
The U.S. Embassy in Caracas and State Department issued an urgent advisory Jan. 10 urging U.S. citizens in Venezuela to depart immediately due to reports of armed colectivos setting roadblocks and searching for signs of U.S. affiliation; consular assistance remains unavailable.
Overview
The U.S. Embassy in Caracas and State Department issued an advisory Jan. 10 urging Americans to leave Venezuela immediately as international flights resume.
Reports indicate pro-government armed militias, known as colectivos, are setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for U.S. citizenship or support.
The State Department maintains a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory for Venezuela citing risks including wrongful detention, kidnapping, torture, terrorism, and civil unrest.
U.S. diplomatic personnel were withdrawn from Caracas in March 2019, and the U.S. government cannot provide emergency assistance to citizens in Venezuela.
Officials advised U.S. citizens to monitor airline updates, take precautions when traveling by road, and establish contingency communication and evacuation plans.
Analysis
Analysis unavailable for this viewpoint.
Sources (4)
FAQ
The U.S. is urging Americans to leave Venezuela because of a highly unstable security environment that includes armed pro-government militias (colectivos) setting up roadblocks, the risk of wrongful detention, kidnapping, terrorism, civil unrest, and the U.S. government’s inability to provide emergency assistance there.
Colectivos are pro-government armed militias in Venezuela that authorities say have been mobilized to support the regime; recent reports indicate they are establishing roadblocks and searching vehicles and people, including looking for signs of U.S. citizenship or support for the United States.
Venezuela is under a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory from the U.S. State Department, which is the highest warning level and indicates that Americans should not travel there at all due to severe risks such as crime, wrongful detention, kidnapping, terrorism, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure.
No, the U.S. government states it cannot provide emergency or routine consular services in Venezuela because all U.S. diplomatic personnel were withdrawn from Caracas and embassy operations were suspended in March 2019.
U.S. citizens who are still in Venezuela are advised to depart as soon as they judge it safe, using the newly resumed international flights when possible, to closely monitor airline and security updates, avoid roadblocks and areas with armed groups, and have contingency plans for communication and evacuation in case routes or airports are disrupted.
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