“No American dream—only nightmares.”
In the wake of recent detentions and anti-immigrant policies, Venezuela is calling the United States a dangerous country and urging its citizens not to travel there and to return home immediately. The move follows the U.S. reissuing a Level 4—Do Not Travel advisory for Venezuela, discouraging all travel to the country.
The Venezuelan government issued an alert on Telegram last week, urging citizens to protect themselves and their families and return from the U.S. It described the country as dangerous and claimed human rights for immigrants do not exist, Euronews reports. “There is no American dream there, only nightmares. Our duty is to denounce this reality and demand respect for our compatriots,” the advisory said.
Yván Gil, Venezuela’s foreign minister, cited examples of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants who were deported to El Salvador without due process. Months later, they remain imprisoned in the high-security CECOT prison in El Salvador, where they are living in inhumane conditions and being psychologically tortured, according to the warning.
Gil also claims that immigrants, Latinos, and Afro-descendants are at risk, and alleges that “the police shoot first and ask questions later.”
Venezuela is not the only country warning its citizens about travel to the U.S. Due to the country’s immigration crackdown and anti-LGBTQ+ policies, several others—including Canada, China, Finland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom—have advised caution. Canada even recommended that travelers bring burner phones or delete all personal data from their devices before entering the U.S.
Continue Reading Article After Our Video
Recommended Fodor’s Video
Related: A Running List of Countries Issuing U.S. Travel Advisories
European firms and business travelers have also expressed concerns. The crackdown on academia has added strain, with the U.S. refusing entry to a French scholar earlier this year because of his opinions on the administration, as well as the detention of students who have expressed pro-Palestinian views.
The administration has reportedly cut funding to elite universities and attempted to revoke Harvard’s ability to admit international students and scholars. More recently, it paused all student visa appointments at embassies worldwide in a move to expand vetting procedures to include social media reviews.
In another sign of growing unease, travelers have reportedly canceled plans to attend WorldPride in Washington, D.C., following warnings about an increasingly hostile environment for the LGBTQIA+ community.
U.S. Maintains Strictest Travel Warning for Venezuela
The U.S. updated its travel advisory for Venezuela on May 12, 2025, maintaining the highest-level warning: Level 4—Do Not Travel. The country has remained at this level for several years.
The advisory warns against any travel to Venezuela due to the high risk of detention, torture, kidnapping, poor infrastructure, and inadequate health services. The U.S. withdrew diplomatic personnel from Venezuela in 2019 and cannot provide consular services to Americans there.
“Authorities do not inform family members if a U.S. citizen is detained,” the advisory states. “There is no safe way to travel to Venezuela. Avoid travel to Venezuela via any means, including via land border crossings where even crossing over into Venezuela by a few feet can result in detention.”
