DHS says Venezuela is safe for immigrants to return; State Department warns Americans to leave

The Trump administration is publishing contrasting information about on-the-ground conditions in Venezuela, raising questions about how different agencies are making policy decisions toward Venezuela and its nationals in the U.S., as well as American travelers.

The Department of Homeland Security, when ending temporary protected status for Venezuela in February 2025, said that while some conditions for the deportation protections continue, there have been “notable improvements” in sectors like the economy, public health and crime. That made it possible for Venezuelans “to be safely returned.”

But in a recent security alert on Saturday, the State Department urged any Americans to depart Venezuela immediately. It emphasized reports that pro-regime groups were stopping people for evidence of U.S. citizenship or U.S. support and highlighted the risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, kidnapping, crime, poor health infrastructure and civil unrest.

The safety alert from the State Department comes days after the United States bombed military installations in Caracas and snatched Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. It also comes as uncertainty around Venezuela’s political future has renewed calls in the U.S. to restore TPS for the over half-a-million Venezuelans residing in the U.S. who lost the protections.

The United States has said since 2019 that U.S. citizens should not visit Venezuela for any reason, and its embassy in Caracas suspended diplomatic operations and consular services that same year.

Both the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department told the Miami Herald that the descriptions of Venezuela agency communications and documents about conditions in Venezuela are not inconsistent with each other.

“The State Department’s travel messaging is for American citizens and is written with their safety in mind. Noting that it may be safe for Venezuelans, does not mean it is safe for Americans,” spokespersons for both agencies in separate statements.

A spokesperson for the State Department said that “the Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas.” Meanwhile, Tricia McLaughlin at DHS said “there is no discrepancy here. The State Department issued its advisory for Americans. You seem to be under the impression that the United States is here to serve foreigners and act as a forever haven for gang members, rapists, drug dealers and narco terrorists.”

The State Department’s “Do not travel” advisory, reissued Dec. 3 without changes, says that violent crimes like armed robbery and homicides are common; that the government is engaged in a brutal crackdown against opposition groups; that shortages of basic supplies like gasoline, electricity and water are commonplace throughout much of the country; and that access to medical care is limited and that facilities may not have basic medications available.

“You cannot warn Americans not to travel to Venezuela because of extreme risk, persecution and danger, while simultaneously telling Venezuelans in the United States that they can safely return because the country is now safe for them. That contradiction is not just policy inconsistency, it is a failure of common sense, humanitarian responsibility and due process,” said Adelys Ferro, the director of the Venezuelan-American Caucus.

Independent groups like Human Rights Watch say the Venezuelan government intimidates human rights advocates, arrests and detains protesters and harasses journalists. There are also armed gangs in border states that control daily life and pro-regime groups that intimidate opposition candidates, according to the watchdog organization.

Nearly 8 million people have fled Venezuela in the past decade In the last days of the Biden administration, the Department of Homeland Security extended temporary protected status for Venezuela another year and a half, citing the “severe humanitarian emergency.” About 5.1 million Venezuelans live with hunger and 53% of the population in extreme poverty, according to the United Nations.

But only weeks later, the Trump administration reversed course on the 18-month extension. It noted the “notable improvements” in certain conditions that allowed for a safe return and warranted the end of TPS. The Trump administration also noted in a public register notice that the designation was not in the U.S.’s national interests even if conditions warranted them.

“Temporary Protected Status is meant to be just that: temporary. President Trump is bringing stability to Venezuela and bringing to justice an illegitimate Narco Terrorist dictator who stole from his own people. Secretary Noem ended Temporary Protected Status for more than 500,000 Venezuelans and now they can go home to a country that they love,” said McLaughlin.

Human Rights First, which tracks Immigration and Customs Enforcement removals, said in a Jan. 9 report that the Trump administration has not sent any deportation flights to Venezuela since Dec. 10. Last month, the Venezuelan government announced that the federal government had unilaterally suspended its twice-weekly deportations amid escalating tensions.

It remains to be seen how ongoing negotiations following Maduro’s capture will impact future deportations.

In a recent letter, U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Darren Soto of Florida, along with Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, asked the Trump administration to bring back TPS for Venezuela in the wake of Maduro’s capture, which has left his former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, as interim president.

“The Trump Administration’s calamitous decision to terminate TPS for Venezuelans in January 2025 was rooted in a determination that conditions in the country had improved,” the lawmakers wrote. “This claim was baseless at the time, and, with the regime left in place, it is certainly untrue now.”