‘Depart Immediately’: Armed Militias Hunting Americans In Venezuela, Embassy Warns

The State Department is urging Americans to leave Venezuela immediately, after reports of armed pro-regime militias attempting to hunt down U.S. citizens in the wake of the U.S. capture and arrest of former dictator Nicolás Maduro.

In a security alert issued Saturday by the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, officials warned that the situation on the ground has become increasingly dangerous. The alert advised U.S. citizens to depart the country immediately by commercial flight and cautioned against road travel due to armed groups operating checkpoints.

“Before departure, U.S. citizens should take precautions and be aware of their surroundings,” the State Department wrote. “There are reports of groups of armed militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence of U.S. citizenship or support for the United States.”

The warning comes after U.S. forces on Jan. 3 captured Maduro and his wife to face narcoterrorism, drug trafficking, and firearms charges in New York. In the wake of the operation, Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, has been installed as president with the backing of the Trump administration.

Since Maduro’s arrest, groups of rifle-armed civilians have been canvassing the streets of Caracas, intimidating those perceived to support the U.S. action, CBS News reported.

The State Department continues to list Venezuela at its highest travel warning level, citing “the high risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure.”

Responding to the security alert, the Venezuelan foreign ministry said in a social media statement that the warning is “based on fabricated accounts aimed at creating a perception of risk that does not exist”.

“Venezuela is in absolute calm, peace, and stability,” the ministry said, “All populated centers, communication routes, checkpoints, and security devices are functioning normally, and all weapons of the Republic are under the control of the Bolivarian Government, the sole guarantor of the legitimate monopoly of force and the tranquility of the Venezuelan people.”

In March 2019, the State Department withdrew all diplomatic personnel from the embassy in Caracas and suspended operations.

There is a very high risk of wrongful detention of Americans in Venezuela and security forces have detained U.S. citizens for up to five years without due process, the State Department said.

“According to former detainees, as well as independent human rights organizations, detainees have been subjected to torture and cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment, including severe beatings, prolonged restraint in stress positions, and waterboarding,” according to the department.

President Donald Trump on Friday announced he’s called off an expected second wave of strikes on Venezuela, saying the interim government is now “working well” with the U.S. on rebuilding its oil and gas infrastructure and releasing “large numbers” of political prisoners.

The president also said in the wake of the operation that the U.S. was considering reopening the embassy in Venezuela, and the administration is reportedly taking preliminary steps to do so.