Congressional Push to Lower El Salvador's Travel Advisory Highlights Country's Transformation and Booming Tourism Industry

A Push for Change

In a joint letter signed by 13 members of Congress, led by El Salvador Caucus Co-Chairmen Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), the bipartisan caucus urged the Biden administration to change the country’s travel advisory to Level 1, the lowest level. The letter highlighted the substantial safety improvements in El Salvador, noting that the country’s homicide rate has been steadily declining since 2015, from a high of 104 per 100,000 inhabitants to just 2.4 in 2024. This rate is lower than nearly every major city in the United States.

The letter also pointed out that several other countries in the Western Hemisphere with similar or higher homicide rates than El Salvador, including Argentina, Suriname, French Guiana, and Paraguay, are at Level 1 designations. Historically, El Salvador held a Level 4 travel advisory for an extended period during the 2000s and 2010s due to rampant gang violence. The advisory was first lowered to Level 2 in September 2019 after President Bukele made a personal request to then-President Donald Trump. Despite the improvements, El Salvador’s advisory was raised to Level 3 with the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained there since the last update in July 2023.

Current Travel Advisory Reasons