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Ruta Pantera Urges Latinos To Avoid Travel to the U.S. in 2026

As a travel news outlet covering Pan-America, Ruta Pantera doesn't speak from the comfort of tourism marketing or from a supposed corporate neutrality. We speak from our principles and from an ethical responsibility to those who read and travel with us. Today, with concern and clarity, we feel it necessary to state it plainly: we do not recommend traveling to the United States at this time. This is not an abstract ideological stance; it is a warning based on recent, documented, and verifiable facts that directly affect the safety, dignity, and rights of Latin Americans crossing its borders.

During the second week of January 2026, a series of events triggered alarms that can no longer be ignored. On January 7, in Minneapolis, Renée Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, died after being shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during an operation that sparked mass protests and urban unrest. The incident, widely covered by the international press, once again brought the use of lethal force by federal authorities in civilian contexts to the forefront. But what is even more concerning to those of us who value fairness is that these policies do not occur in a vacuum: the U.S. administration has also strengthened immigration controls that directly impact citizens of Latin American countries, imposing economic, health, and personal history requirements that make entry even more difficult, even for tourists.

Traveling Today: Between the Border and Fear

For Ruta Pantera, which champions social justice, diversity, and the unrestricted respect for human rights, this episode is not isolated. In the days that followed, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed lawsuits against the federal government for racial profiling and arbitrary arrests during ICE raids in Minnesota, disproportionately affecting Latino and migrant communities. As Latin American travelers, we cannot ignore that these practices occur in public spaces, on highways, and in neighborhoods where any visitor can become caught in a cycle of suspicion and institutional violence.

Adding to this is another recently announced issue: the US administration has added countries like Venezuela and Cuba to a list that requires their citizens to pay bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to apply for B1/B2 tourist or business visas, drastically raising the economic barrier to simply attempting to enter the country. These bonds, moreover, do not guarantee visa approval, and if the visa is denied, the money is withheld. These types of measures disproportionately burden Latin American travelers whose economic situation, the product of decades of structural crises imposed by external powers and complex internal dynamics, is already often more precarious than that of those living in developed countries.

Furthermore, in a sweeping move, the United States announced the suspension of immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, several of them Latin American, including Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Uruguay, citing criteria based on the alleged “potential for dependence on public assistance.” While this primarily affects permanent residency visas, it also entails stricter health checks, English proficiency tests, financial assessments, and thorough reviews of social media and personal backgrounds—filters that all visitors must face with increasing rigor before obtaining any type of visa.

On January 15, it was reported that an immigration agent shot a Venezuelan citizen in Minneapolis during a traffic stop. Although the man survived, the incident deepened the sense of insecurity and the perception that origin, language, or accent can become real risk factors. For those of us who believe in humane borders and the right to migrate without criminalization, these events are incompatible with safe and dignified tourism.

New Rules, Fewer Guarantees

The legal context offers no reassurance either. That same month, a federal court overturned the order to release Mahmoud Khalil, an academic and activist detained for reasons related to his political speech, reinforcing concerns about the criminalization of dissent and the fragility of civil liberties. Meanwhile, the US president threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces against the protests, an extreme measure that has historically entailed severe restrictions on civil liberties.

From our perspective, committed to democracy, the separation of powers, and freedom of expression, this institutional climate creates legal uncertainty incompatible with the travel experience. Travel should not involve the risk of arbitrary detention, intimidating interrogations, or the disproportionate use of force by the state.

What International Organizations Say

The warnings aren't just coming from Latin America. European governments have updated their travel advisories for the United States, cautioning that a valid visa or electronic travel authorization does not guarantee entry and that border agents have broad discretionary powers to detain or refuse entry to travelers. This comes on top of stricter requirements, ranging from mandatory medical checks and assessments of sufficient funds to finance the stay, to basic English proficiency required as part of some evaluation criteria, and social media reviews as part of the immigration screening process.

Organizations like Human Rights Watch have also documented the use of federal agents without recognizable identification, as well as abuses in immigration detention centers, including medical neglect and degrading treatment. For Ruta Pantera, which defends human dignity without double standards, these practices represent a red line.

Why We Speak Directly to the Latin American traveler

We make this appeal not out of fear, but from informed judgment. Our history as a region has taught us to recognize when power structures become hostile toward certain bodies, accents, and passports. Today, the United States is experiencing a moment in which punitive immigration policies, institutional violence, and the erosion of civil rights affect not only undocumented migrants, but also legal residents, academics, and tourists.

As a project that believes in regional empowerment, diversity, and tourism as a cultural bridge, we believe that there are safer, more supportive, and more consistent alternatives within Latin America and other territories where travelers are not seen as a potential threat.

Thinking of Travel as an Ethical Act

This isn't about demonizing a country or denying its complexity. It's about acknowledging that travel is also a political and ethical act. Today, protecting our people means honestly admitting that the United States doesn't offer the minimum conditions of legal and human security for the average Latin American traveler.

At Ruta Pantera, we believe this moment can also be an opportunity. An opportunity to strengthen our own cultural, economic, and tourism networks; to look inward at the continent with pride; and to build a more connected, just, and conscious Latin America. The question isn't just whether we should travel to the U.S., but how we can contribute to a region where movement doesn't imply fear, and where dignity is always the starting point.

By Ruta Pantera Staff for Ruta Pantera on 1/25/2026 7:52:13 AM

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