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U.S. Department of State warns Americans not to travel to Venezuela over wrongful-detention risk
Summary
A State Department statement warned U.S. citizens against travel to Venezuela and nearby border areas, saying nationals risk wrongful detention for months or years and urging Americans to avoid travel while the department works to secure detainees' release.
A staff member said the U.S. Department of State issued a security alert warning Americans not to travel to Venezuela or bordering areas because U.S. nationals face the risk of wrongful detention for months or even years.
The warning, the staff member said, underlined the department’s concern that "more US nationals are currently wrongfully detained in Venezuela than in any other country," and urged Americans to avoid travel to prevent additional detentions.
The staff member said President Trump has secured freedom for several Americans wrongfully detained in Venezuela since taking office, "most recently last week," and added that the department "continues to do everything we can to secure the freedom of the remaining Americans wrongfully detained in Venezuela." The statement stressed the gravity of the warning: "I cannot emphasize enough the gravity of this warning."
The advisory included a simple directive: "do not travel to Venezuela," which the staff member characterized as part of the secretary’s priority that "the safety and security of the American people" come first. The statement framed the advisory as preventive: "We need to ensure that no additional Americans are falling into this trap."
No formal actions, travel restrictions, or specific numbers of detainees were provided in the statement. The staff member did not specify the exact number of U.S. nationals currently detained, nor provide dates or case details for recent releases beyond saying the most recent release occurred "last week."
