US Issues Travel Warning to Bahamas Over Deadly Trend

A U.S. flag at a U.S. Embassy building in a file photo. Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. State Department this week issued a travel warning to the Bahamas amid a recent spike in murders in the island country.

An alert sent out by the U.S. Embassy on Jan. 24 advises Americans “to be aware that 18 murders have occurred in Nassau since the beginning of 2024” and that homicides have occurred “at all hours, including in broad daylight on the streets.” It cited gang violence for the spike in murders so far this year.

It warned American citizens to avoid travel to the eastern parts of New Province Island, where Nassau is located, including using caution when walking or driving at night, keeping a low profile, and being aware of the surroundings. American citizens should also not “physically resist any robbery attempt,” the advisory said.

On Friday, the U.S. State Department placed the Bahamas on a Level 2 alert, warning people to use “increased caution.” That bulletin said that danger persists in both tourist and non-tourist areas, adding that tourists should not answer their door at a local hotel or residence “unless you know who it is.”

The majority of crime, it added, takes place in New Providence and Grand Bahama islands. “In Nassau, practice increased vigilance in the ‘Over the Hill’ area where gang-on-gang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate primarily affecting the local population,” said the State Department.

“Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do not have a presence. Activities involving commercial recreational watercraft, including water tours, are not consistently regulated. Watercraft may be poorly maintained, and some operators may not have safety certifications,” the agency added.

Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis spoke of the violence last week and vowed to install roadblocks around the country. His office is also planning to carry out police activity to contain the crime, reported the Nassau Guardian.

“This may make you late for your appointments or delay plans you have, but this is a small price to pay for the collective benefit of having our streets made safer and our lives less blighted by murder and other violent crimes,” he said, noting that residents “are likely to be impacted by more roadblocks and unannounced police action.”

The activity, the prime minister added, will result in “more intrusive policing” but promised not to “violate anyone’s civil liberties.

Earlier in the week, the State Department placed nearby Jamaica on a level three out of four, advising people to “reconsider travel” due to violent crimes that have recently occurred.

“Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides, are common,” the department said. “Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts.”

It further warned that local police in Jamaica “often do not respond effectively to serious criminal incidents,” adding that “cases are infrequently prosecuted to a conclusive sentence.”

“Families of U.S. citizens killed in accidents or homicides frequently wait a year or more for final death certificates to be issued by Jamaican authorities,” the bulletin added. “The homicide rate reported by the Government of Jamaica has for several years been among the highest in the Western Hemisphere.”

In August 2023, the U.S. Embassy neighboring Haiti warned Americans to leave the Caribbean nation as soon as possible due to a spiraling security situation in which armed gangs have taken over swathes of the country. Weeks before that, the embassy closed due to “rapid gunfire” that erupted near the building, located in Port-au-Prince.

Meanwhile, approximately 20 countries currently have a Level 4, or “do not travel,” advisory as of this week. They include Russia, Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon, North Korea, parts of Mexico, Ukraine, and several more.

About two dozen countries are under a Level 3 out of 4 advisory, including China, multiple Central and South American countries, and many more.

Late last year, the State Department issued a “worldwide caution” advisory after the Israel-Gaza conflict erupted “due to increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, [and] demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.”