Uruguay and the USA Issue Mutual Travel Warnings

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After the USA issued a travel warning for Uruguay, the South American country, in turn, issued a warning for travel in the opposite direction.

“Surprisingly, we found a U.S. government security warning for those traveling to Uruguay. We believe this is an interference in our country’s election campaign,” said Uruguayan Foreign Minister Nin Novoa at a press conference.

After the severe terrorist attacks in the USA, the Uruguayan government responded with a travel warning for the North American country.

Allegedly, some districts of Montevideo and some seaside resorts are particularly dangerous, according to the USA warning. “Last year, the crime rate in Uruguay was higher, but not an issue for the government of Donald Trump. And now, after a twenty percent decline in the first half of 2019, this alarm appears,” Novoa said.

The news from Washington is hitting the small South American country hard: On the one hand, tourism is being affected. It is one of Uruguay’s primary sources of income. On the other hand, internal security is the central election campaign issue of the right-wing opposition.

In the primary elections, the forces located outside the right-wing, in particular, received a boost as a result. At the same time as the presidential elections in October, a National Party bill will be put to voting to enable the military to fight crime.

Uruguay’s Interior Minister, Eduardo Bonomi, has carried out a far-reaching modernization of the entire police force in recent years. A simultaneous reform of procedural and criminal law complemented these measures. In recent months, the first results have become visible in increased operations against drug mafias, which “immigrate” mainly from Brazil.

“Uruguay does not appear in any of the international statistics on violence in world countries. No Uruguayan city is listed among the fifty most violent in the world. Quite in contrast to some in the USA, which points to Uruguay’s crime rate,” says Nin Novoa. He also recalled a U.S. State Department homepage where all countries in the world are rated on a scale of one to four. “They have the divine mission to judge the states of the world.”

Uruguay’s government immediately responded to the USA criticism. It issued a security warning to its citizens wishing to travel to the USA. In the wording: “fellow citizens traveling to the USA should take maximum precautions. The growing indiscriminate violence of hate crime, including racism and discrimination, has cost the lives of more than 250 people in the first seven months of this year.”

“The authorities are not in a position to prevent these situations, partly because of the uncontrolled possession of firearms by the population. It is therefore particularly advisable to avoid places with large crowds. In particular, it is recommended to avoid visiting amusement parks, shopping malls, festivals, religious activities, gastronomic fairs, and any cultural or sporting event with minors.”

“It is also recommended to stay away from cities such as Detroit (Michigan), Baltimore (Maryland) and Albuquerque (New Mexico), which according to CEOWORLD Magazine 2019 are among the twenty most dangerous in the world.”