The United States and Venezuela on Tuesday issued mutual travel warnings, with the US citing the risk of wrongful detention in Venezuela, while Caracas accused Washington of systematic human rights abuses against Venezuelan citizens.
“US citizens in Venezuela face a significant and growing risk of wrongful detention,” the State Department said in a statement.
No Embassy, Consulate
The department has assigned Venezuela, where there is no US Embassy or consulate, its highest travel alert – Level 4: Do Not Travel. It cited risks including torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, unfair law enforcement practices, violent crime, civil unrest and inadequate healthcare.
The US has said there are Americans being unfairly held in Venezuela. One man was freed this month, while others were released in January.
Venezuela Asks Citizens To Leave
Venezuela, meanwhile, issued a travel alert for the US and urged its citizens living there to leave.
“Venezuelans in the United States are victims of a systematic pattern of abuses of their human rights, being arbitrarily detained, separated from their families and transported to concentration camps in third countries,” Venezuela’s foreign minister Yvan Gil said on Telegram.
Venezuela has decried President Donald Trump’s use of a 1798 law to deport hundreds of migrants from the US to El Salvador’s most notorious prison.
The US Supreme Court this month kept in place its block on Trump’s use of the law, faulting his administration for seeking to remove migrants without adequate legal process.
Oil Prices Up
In another development concerning the US and Venezuela, oil prices ticked up in early trading on Wednesday as the Trump admin barred Chevron from exporting crude from the South American country under a new authorization on its assets there, raising the prospect of tighter supply.
Brent crude futures rose 47 cents, or 0.73%, to $64.56 a barrel by 0028 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 49 cents, or around 0.8%, to $61.38 a barrel.
The Trump administration has issued a new authorization for US major Chevron that would allow it to keep assets in Venezuela but not to export oil or expand its activities, Reuters reported on Tuesday according to sources.
(With inputs from Reuters)
