US Urges Americans to Leave Venezuela Immediately Due To ‘Severe’ Safety Risks

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A day after President Donald Trump invited U.S. oil executives to rebuild their businesses in Venezuela, the State Department issued a warning for Americans to leave the country immediately on Saturday.

The warning comes exactly one week after U.S. troops ousted President Nicolás Maduro and flew him to New York to stand trial on narco-trafficking charges.

The U.S. Embassy in Venezuela released a statement saying, “Venezuela has the highest Travel Advisory level – Level 4: Do Not Travel – due to severe risks to Americans, including wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure.”

The Guardian reported earlier this week that Venezuela’s government, currently run by Maduro’s second-in-command Delcy Rodriguez, deployed armed militias looking for Americans.

“The patrols stopped and searched cars and demanded access to people’s phones to check their contacts, messages and social media posts in a stark demonstration to the population that the regime remained in charge despite the abduction of president Nicolás Maduro,” the report said.

“Anyone who was suspected of supporting Saturday’s US raid was liable for arrest,” a resident in the western Caracas neighborhood of Catia told The Guardian. “There’s fear. There are armed civilians here. You never know what might happen, they might attack people.”

Rodriguez’s government issued an emergency decree preventing public celebration of Maduro’s capture “and ordered police to seek and detain ‘everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States,'” The Guardian reported.

Trump said Friday that he cancelled a planned second “wave of attacks” on Venezuela after Rodriguez’s “smart gesture” of releasing political detainees.

The president posted to social media:

Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of “Seeking Peace.” This is a very important and smart gesture. The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes. At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House.

Trump flew to Mar-a-Lago for the weekend on Friday and hasn’t yet commented on the State Department’s evacuation order.