Officials urge Americans not to travel to island spot amid kidnappings, 6-figure ransom demands

The U.S. State Department issued an updated warning advising Americans not to travel to Haiti - citing widespread kidnappings and ransom demands often reaching into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Sharing the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, Haiti has been gripped by escalating gang violence and instability.

In an April 16 travel advisory, the U.S. State Department warned that violent crime is still rampant in the Caribbean nation, particularly in its capital city of Port-au-Prince.

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"The expansion of gang, organized crime and terrorist activity has led to widespread violence," the advisory noted, citing firearm-related crimes, carjackings, robberies, sexual assaults, kidnappings and ransom demands.

"Ransom demands are typically in the high tens of thousands to high hundreds of thousands of dollars," the release said.

Critically, officials also said that local law enforcement "has an extremely limited ability to respond to serious crimes, particularly outside Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien."

The statement warned, "When traveling to Haiti, do not engage in activity or behave in a manner that could be in violation of local law and subject you to arrest and detention. Be mindful of potential violations of law."

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Level 4 is the State Department's highest level of warning, meaning that Americans may face life-threatening risks and should not travel to the country.

Although the Level 4 advisory has been in place for some time, the State Department added new warnings in this month's update.

The advisory also cited unrest, stating that protests and roadblocks are "common and unpredictable," and that protesters "sometimes damage or destroy infrastructure and can become violent."

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The release noted that "armed, anti-gang vigilante groups attack and, in many cases, have killed individuals, including U.S. citizens, suspected of being gang members based only on rumors or incorrect information."

U.S. commercial flights are not operating to or from Port-au-Prince, though Americans may still attempt to reach the country via foreign carriers or indirect routes.

Americans in Haiti are urged to establish "a proof of life protocol" with family - and to choose a family member to serve as a point of contact in the case of kidnapping.

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The advisory also advises Americans to "not physically resist any robbery attempt" and to "caution when walking or driving at night."

Haiti joins a list of other countries that remain on the U.S. State Department's travel advisory list.

Earlier this month, U.S. officials issued a travel advisory for Albania, a cheap destination popular for its Adriatic coastline, over Iran-related tensions.

On Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago said that Americans should "reconsider travel to Trinidad and Tobago due to crime," citing a "heightened risk of terrorism."