STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VENEZUELA: “The Trump administration is warning U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela as Washington tries to pressure the regime of Nicolás Maduro to give up power. The State Department has raised its travel advisory for Venezuela to level four, its highest. That places Venezuela in the same category as countries such as Syria, Iran and Iraq. The move comes days after President Donald Trump recognized Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaidó as the country’s interim president, in a bid to push Maduro out. Critics accuse Maduro and his aides of destroying the Venezuelan economy and sparking a refugee crisis through kleptocratic practices. In justifying the decision on Tuesday [1-29-19], State cited Venezuela’s crime, civil unrest and poor health infrastructure, as well as its arbitrary arrest and detention of U.S. citizens. The department also pointed to sudden political rallies and demonstrations with ‘the use of tear gas, pepper spray, water cannons, and rubber bullets against participants and occasionally devolve into looting and vandalism’ as other reasons for the advisory.”
–Supriya Sridhar, “Trump administration warns Americans to avoid Venezuela,” Politico, January 29, 2019 1:35 pm