If you travel abroad, you might check out whether or not the United States has issued a travel warning about the country you’re about to visit. Now, after two mass shootings occurred in less than 13 hours, resulting in 31 people dead and dozens of others injured, two countries have issued travel warnings about the U.S. The warnings are specifically about violence and hate crimes.
Let’s start with Venezuela. Venezuela's Foreign Ministry issued a warning on Monday saying that residents should delay travel to the States, or exercise caution if they do go. The statement reads in part: "These increasing acts of violence have found an echo and support in the conversations and actions impregnated by racial discrimination and hatred against migrant populations, pronounced and executed by the supremacist elite who holds political power in Washington.”
Perhaps the most pointed one-liner in the statement is Venezuela's analysis of why mass shootings happen here. It says one of the main causes of violent acts in the U.S. is the "inexcusable indiscriminate possession of firearms by the population, encouraged by the federal government."
It’s not wrong.
Here’s the statement, as tweeted by President Nicolás Maduro.
It’s also worth noting that not long after Maduro tweeted the above statement, Donald Trump signed an executive order expanding sanctions against Venezuela. This includes freezing all assets of Maduro’s government.
Next up is Uruguay. Uruguay's Foreign Ministry also issued an advisory on Monday. Uruguay’s statement notes that citizens should "take precaution amid the growing indiscriminatory violence, specifically hate crimes including racism and discrimination" when visiting the United States. Like Venezuela, Uruguay points to gun violence. The statement describes it as the “indiscriminate possession of firearms by the population." Uruguay’s statement also suggests avoiding specific cities, including Albuquerque, Baltimore, and Detroit.
Uruguay’s notice also says that the "impossibility of authorities to prevent these situations" is a major reason for visitors to be cautious when visiting highly populated areas or attending public venues or events such as concerts, theme parks, food festivals, and protests.
In the past, France, New Zealand, and Germany have issued travel warnings about the United States, the Los Angeles Times notes.