Venezuela has issued a travel alert advising its citizens against traveling to the United States, citing systematic human rights violations and xenophobic policies. The alert comes after the U.S. renewed its own travel warning for Venezuela, escalating diplomatic tensions.

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The Venezuelan government has issued a travel alert this Tuesday, urging its citizens to avoid traveling to the United States and recommending that Venezuelans residing in the U.S. to consider leaving the country. This move comes after the U.S. State Department’s renewed advisory against travel to Venezuela.

Venezuela Condemns U.S. Human Rights Violations

In an official statement, Foreign Minister Yván Gil emphasized that Venezuelans in the U.S. are facing a “systematic pattern of human rights violations,” including arbitrary detentions, family separations, and forced transfers to detention centers in third countries.

The government characterized these actions as reminiscent of “the darkest chapters of contemporary history,” denouncing what it called the “cruelest operation of xenophobia known in our continent,” promoted by far-right elements in both Venezuela and the United States.

This alert is not an isolated measure but part of a broader denunciation of U.S. policies that have targeted Venezuelan migrants. The Trump administration’s return to power has brought the rollback of crucial protections for Venezuelan immigrants, including the annulment of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and humanitarian parole, affecting hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who sought refuge from economic and political turmoil.

Community leaders and Venezuelan authorities have decried these measures as racist and discriminatory, highlighting the criminalization of an entire diaspora based on the actions of a few.

The text reads: Venezuela issues a Travel Alert for all Venezuelan citizens, advising against any travel to the United States of America. Likewise, we urge Venezuelan citizens currently residing in U.S. territory to consider leaving that country.
This alert is issued because today, Venezuelans in the U.S. are victims of a systematic pattern of human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, separation from their families, and transfer to concentration camps in third countries—practices that are unacceptable and reminiscent of the darkest chapters of contemporary history.
Added to this is the use of migratory blackmail and the criminalization of our people in the cruelest xenophobic operation known on our continent, promoted by far-right elements from both Venezuela and the United States.

The U.S. State Department recently reissued its most severe travel advisory for Venezuela, based on unfounded slanders against the Venezuelan government, falsely accusing its authorities of arbitrary detentions, torture, terrorism, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure.

This warning, urging U.S. citizens to leave Venezuela immediately, reflects the deepening diplomatic rift between the two nations, rooted in a campaign of misinformation and hostility from the Trump administration.

Since the closure of the U.S. embassy in Caracas in 2019, Americans in Venezuela have been left without consular support or evacuation options, further complicating the situation for both travelers and residents in the middle of a context marked by baseless accusations and political manipulation.

Venezuela, for its part, has rejected what it describes as an “irrational” decision by the U.S. government to categorize Venezuelans as a threat to national security, calling instead for dialogue and mutual respect. The Venezuelan government has repeatedly condemned the use of migration as a tool for political blackmail and has called on international organizations to scrutinize the human rights situation faced by its citizens abroad.

Migrant Community Faces Hostility and Criminalization

Venezuelan migrants in the United States have reported an unprecedented wave of hostility since the policy changes, with community organizations noting an uptick in racist rhetoric and unjustified criminal accusations.

Despite representing a significant and hard-working segment of the Latino population, Venezuelans have found themselves targeted by policies that fail to distinguish between the vast majority of law-abiding residents and a small minority involved in criminal activity.

In light of these developments, the Venezuelan government has reiterated its willingness to engage in dialogue with the United States, provided it is based on mutual respect and recognition of sovereignty. Officials have urged international human rights bodies to investigate the treatment of Venezuelan migrants and to hold accountable those responsible for violations.

As diplomatic tensions continue to rise, Venezuela’s travel alert serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of political confrontation and the urgent need for policies rooted in solidarity, justice, and respect for human rights.

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