Congressional El Salvador Caucus Requests State Department to Downgrade El Salvador’s Travel Advisory to ‘Normal Precautions’

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Washington, D.C.- Today, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Chair of the Congressional El Salvador Caucus, led a bipartisan letter signed by every member of the caucus to Secretary of State Antony Blinken requesting his department downgrade El Salvador's travel advisory to "Level 1: Exercise normal precautions."

Currently, El Salvador's travel advisory is at "Level 3," which advises travelers to "reconsider travel" because there are "serious risks to safety and security" in the country. However, due to President Nayib Bukele's "régimen de excepción," which has led to the incarceration of more than 75,000 violent gang members, El Salvador has been the safest country in the Western Hemisphere since 2023. The country's homicide rate has been steadily declining from a high of 104 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015 to 2.4 in 2024 and is less than that of nearly every major city in the United States.

Full text of Congressman Gaetz's letter to Secretary Blinken can be found HERE. Additionally, exclusive coverage of the letter by Washington Examiner can be found HERE.

LETTER TEXT

Secretary Blinken,

As members of the Congressional El Salvador Caucus, we write to request that the State Department lower El Salvador's travel advisory to "Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions." Currently, El Salvador's travel advisory is at "Level 3: Reconsider Travel."

The State Department characterizes its travel advisories as follows: "Level 1 - Exercise Normal Precautions," the lowest advisory level, which notes that there is some risk inherent in any international travel; "Level 2 - Exercise Increased Caution," as heightened risks to safety and security exist; "Level 3 - Reconsider Travel," as serious risks to safety and security exist; and "Level 4 - Do Not Travel," the highest advisory level due to a greater likelihood of life-threatening risks and the limited ability of the U.S. government to provide emergency assistance. The State Department also notes that advisory levels 2-4 include one or more established risk indicators, complete with specific advice to U.S. citizens who consider travel to these areas. Despite labeling El Salvador as a "CRITICAL" threat location for crime, the State Department's own security report admits that El Salvador is not a haven for kidnapping, a hub for drug trafficking or drug crime, or a risk for terrorism.

El Salvador is now, and has been since 2023, the safest country in the Western Hemisphere; the State Department's travel advisory, regrettably, does not reflect this reality. Since 2015, El Salvador's homicide rate has been steadily declining, from a high of 104 per 100,000 inhabitants to 2.4 in 2024. This homicide rate is less than nearly every major city in the United States. The State Department classifies other nations in the Western Hemisphere with similar or greater homicide rates than El Salvador, such as Canada, Argentina, Suriname, French Guiana, and Paraguay as "Level 1" nations.

This transformation is due in no small part to President Nayib Bukele's "régimen de excepción." With the incarceration of more than 75,000 violent gang members, crime in El Salvador is no longer an epidemic, leaving the good citizens of El Salvador and foreign tourists to enjoy the nation unburdened by any serious risk of violence or petty crime.

With peace secured, El Salvador now looks forward to a six-phase plan for economic revitalization. While focused inward, this plan includes initiatives to increase and promote tourism and foreign investment. El Salvador's GDP has enjoyed a robust rebound of 11.2 percent from the COVID pandemic and has so far sustained 2.5 percent growth every year since, a trajectory that is projected to continue. Much of this investment comes from domestic companies and the Salvadoran diaspora - a true vote of confidence in El Salvador's future, particularly in the tourism sector.

Tourism is El Salvador's fastest growing economic sector, recently boasting its status as the fastest-growing destination in the Western Hemisphere and the fourth fastest-growing destination in the world. This explosion in tourism has manifested in a 35 percent growth rate in tourism in 2023 compared to 2019 and a 157 percent growth rate in tourism for the first half of 2024 when compared to 2019. In the past two years, El Salvador has hosted several successful international events, such as the Central American games, five international surf competitions, and Miss Universe. All have taken place without incident.

The security and economic transformation of El Salvador has had a direct positive impact on the United States and its interests. Specifically, the State Department has invested much time and effort into its "Root Causes" strategy in combatting irregular migration from Central America. El Salvador's reforms have directly addressed "Pillars I through V" by addressing economic insecurity and inequality; combatting corruption, strengthening democratic governance, and advancing the rule of law; promoting respect for human rights, labor rights, and a free press; countering and preventing violence, extortion, and other crimes perpetrated by criminal gangs, trafficking networks, and other organized criminal organizations; and combatting sexual, gender-based, and domestic violence. As evidence of this root-cause success, migration to the United States from El Salvador has dropped more than 60 percent since President Bukele took office in 2019. Further economic success through increased tourism and foreign investment can only cement and improve the progress that El Salvador has made in addressing the root causes of irregular migration. This next step is directly affected by the State Department through its travel advisories.

Through safety and lasting peace, prosperity for El Salvador is on the horizon. Of course, this prosperity depends in large part on the blessing of the international community, and this blessing is most powerful when coming from El Salvador's most powerful and benevolent neighbor: the United States of America. The State Department plays a central role in guaranteeing the safety of American tourists abroad by providing accurate and up-to-date information through its travel advisories. It is time that the State Department provides accurate and current information regarding El Salvador so that our nations may continue to work together for the benefit of our people and our interests.

Therefore, we write seeking answers to the following questions:

1. Will the State Department commit to lowering El Salvador's travel advisory to "Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions" in a timely fashion?"
2. Will the State Department provide a timeline and/or steps that will be adhered to for purposes of reviewing El Salvador's threat-level status and lowering it to "Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions?"

Lastly, we request an in-person meeting with you or your designee to discuss these issues. Please contact the Executive Director of the Congressional El Salvador Caucus, John Wilson, at [email protected] to schedule a meeting.

Sincerely,

Matt Gaetz
Member of Congress
Chair, Congressional El Salvador Caucus

Vicente Gonzalez
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, Congressional El Salvador Caucus

Dan Bishop
Member of Congress

Andy Biggs
Member of Congress

Lauren Boebert
Member of Congress

Lou Correa
Member of Congress

Eli Crane
Member of Congress

Anna Paulina Luna
Member of Congress

Alex Mooney
Member of Congress

Ralph Norman
Member of Congress

María Elvira Salazar
Member of Congress

Mike Collins
Member of Congress

Scott Perry
Member of Congress

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