U.S. Issues New Honduras Travel Warning

U.S. Issues New Honduras Travel WarningTravel Warning
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs

Honduras
June 17, 2013

The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens that the crime and violence levels in Honduras remain critically high. This Travel Warning supersedes the Travel Warning dated November 21, 2012, to include additional information about reported kidnappings, information for victims of crime, as well as the Honduran police force’s ability to respond to reports of crime, and also serves to update contact information.

Tens of thousands of U.S. citizens visit Honduras each year for study, tourism, business, and volunteer work without incident. However, crime and violence are serious problems throughout the country and the Government of Honduras lacks sufficient resources to address these issues. Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world. These threats have increased substantially over the past several years and remain high. Incidents can occur anywhere.

U.S. citizens do not appear to be targeted based on their nationality. Crimes are committed against expatriates at levels similar to those committed against locals. Most resort areas and tourist destinations have lower levels of crime and violence than other areas of the country, though still high by international standards. Moreover, tourists traveling with group tours report fewer criminal incidents. In 2012, the government agreed to increase police presence in areas frequented by tourists, such as the Copan Mayan ruins and Roatan. The government also established special tourist police forces in Copan and Roatan and is evaluating this option in other locations. Additionally, major hotels and other tourist installations have increased security, including with the help of police, in response to the crime epidemic. These efforts are in various stages of implementation.

A majority of serious crimes are never solved; of the 18 murders committed against U.S. citizens since January 2011, police have closed none. Members of the Honduran National Police have been known to engage in criminal activity, including murder. The Government of Honduras lacks sufficient resources to properly investigate and prosecute cases, and to deter violent crime. In practice, this means police may take hours to arrive at the scene of a violent crime or not respond at all. The police often lack vehicles or fuel to respond to calls for assistance. As a result, criminals operate with a high degree of impunity throughout Honduras. The Honduran government is in the early stages of substantial reforms to its criminal justice institutions.

Transnational criminal organizations conduct narcotics trafficking and other unlawful activities throughout the country and use violence to control drug trafficking routes and carry out other criminal activity. Other criminals, acting both individually and in gangs in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, commit crimes such as murder, kidnapping, carjacking, armed robbery, rapes, and other aggravated assaults.

Kidnappings and disappearances are an ongoing concern throughout the country. Kidnapping affects both the local and expatriate communities, with victims sometimes paying large ransoms for the prospect of release. Kidnapping is believed to be underreported. Since January 1, 2012, four cases of U.S. citizens being kidnapped were reported to the U.S. Embassy. The kidnapping victims were all subsequently released.

U.S. citizens should be vigilant of their surroundings at all times and in all locations, especially when entering or exiting their homes, hotels, cars, garages, schools, and workplaces. Whenever possible, U.S. citizens should travel in groups of two or more persons; avoid wearing jewelry and carrying large sums of money or displaying cash, ATM/credit cards, or other valuables; and avoid walking at night in most areas of Honduras or walking alone on beaches, historic ruins, and trails. Incidents of crime along roads, including carjacking and kidnapping, are common in Honduras. Motorists should avoid traveling at night and always drive with their doors locked to deter potential robberies at traffic lights and on congested downtown streets.

The location and timing of criminal activity is unpredictable. We recommend that all travelers exercise caution when traveling anywhere in Honduras. However, certain areas of the country demonstrate higher levels of criminal activity than others. Honduran “departments” (a geographic designation similar to U.S. states) with homicide rates higher than the national average of 85.5 per 100,000 in 2012 include:

Atlántida (including La Ceiba)
Colón
Comayagua
Copán
Cortés (including San Pedro Sula)
Francisco Morazán (including Tegucigalpa)
Ocotepeque
Olancho
Yoro

There are not reliable statistics for the department of Gracias a Dios, however travelers to this area should note that it is a remote location with limited government services and frequent presence of narcotics traffickers.

For more detailed information regarding personal security, please see the State Department’s Country Specific Information for Honduras. For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ Web site, where the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found. U.S. citizens living or traveling in Honduras are strongly encouraged to sign up for the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to obtain updated information on travel and security within Honduras.

If you or someone you know becomes the victim of a crime in Honduras, you should contact the local police and the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa. If your passport is stolen, the U.S. Embassy can help you replace it. For violent crimes such as assault and rape, the U.S. Embassy can help you find appropriate medical care, contact family members and friends, and help them send you money. Although the investigation and prosecution of crime are the responsibility of local authorities, U.S. consular officers can provide guidance on the local criminal justice process and find you an attorney if needed. The U.S. Embassy does not provide private security for citizens visiting Honduras.

The Embassy is located on Avenida La Paz in Tegucigalpa and can be reached by telephone at (504) 2236-9320/2238-5114 or by fax at (504) 2236-9037. For after-hours emergencies, please call (504) 2236-8497. The Embassy’s American Citizen Services Unit can be reached directly by telephone at (504) 2238-5114 ext. 4400 and by fax at (504) 2238-4357 or by e-mail at usahonduras@state.gov. The American Citizen Services Unit’s Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/acstegucigalpa, is another resource for updated security information. Travelers may register with the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa through the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. Travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States or outside the United States and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. For information on general crime and security issues, U.S. citizens should consult the U.S. Embassy in Honduras. Stay up to date by bookmarking our Bureau of Consular Affairs Web site, which contains Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts as well as the Worldwide Caution. Follow us on Twitter and the Bureau of Consular Affairs page on Facebook as well. You can also download our free Smart Traveler App, available through iTunes and the Google play store, to have travel information at your fingertips.

The U.S. Consular Agency in San Pedro Sula, which accepts passport applications and performs notarial services, is located on the eleventh floor of the Banco Atlantida building (across from Central Park), telephone (504) 2558-1580. The agency is open Monday-Wednesday-Friday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. In case of emergency in the San Pedro Sula/north coast area, please contact the Embassy in Tegucigalpa at (504) 2236-9320/2238-5114, which will forward the call to the consular agent if necessary.

From: US Department of State: Travel.State.Gov

Read President Lobo’s response to the previous U.S. Honduras Travel Warning.

Keep up-to-date on all Honduras travel warnings and advisories from each country by visiting: Honduras Travel Advice and Advisories


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