U.S. urges Americans to leave Venezuela immediately

U.S. urges Americans to leave Venezuela immediately

The U.S. State Department on Saturday issued an urgent warning urging all American citizens in Venezuela to leave the country immediately, citing a sharply deteriorating security situation following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces earlier this month.

In its alert, the department said the security environment “remains fluid” and that while international flights have resumed, Americans should depart as soon as possible and exercise extreme caution, especially on the country’s roadways where armed militia groups known as “colectivos” are reportedly establishing checkpoints and searching vehicles for signs of U.S. citizenship or support for the United States.

The advisory places Venezuela at the highest Level 4 “Do Not Travel” designation, warning of grave dangers including wrongful detention, kidnapping, terrorism, civil unrest, and the lack of consular support; U.S. diplomatic services in Caracas remain suspended and cannot provide routine or emergency assistance.

Maduro and his wife appeared in a U.S. federal court in New York following their detention by American forces, who carried out a high-profile operation in Caracas that sparked significant violence and global condemnation.

The situation on the ground remains tense. Venezuela’s interim leadership has dismissed U.S. warnings as exaggerated, and millions of Venezuelans across the region are watching developments with caution amid ongoing uncertainty about the country’s future.

U.S. officials have emphasized that Americans still in Venezuela should plan their departure now while travel options exist, but warned that power and utilities outages, alongside militia activity, make remaining in place increasingly risky.