UAE, Bahamas, Bahrain Issue US Travel Warning

Several countries have advised their citizens to avoid crowds and exercise increased caution while visiting the United States. In light of recent violence, multiple nations are urging their citizens to be careful when traveling to the United States.

Following a mass shooting in Orlando, the deaths of two young black men at the hands of police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota, and the killing of five police officers in Dallas over the past few weeks, several countries have urged their citizens to proceed with caution if they’re visiting the United States.

First, after a man from the United Arab Emirates who was in Ohio for medical treatment was falsely accused of being a terrorist because he was speaking Arabic on the phone, the UAE cautioned its citizens to avoid traditional dress abroad “to ensure their safety.”

Now, the UAE has been joined by Bahrain and the Bahamas, both of whom issued travel warnings over the past weekend.

On Twitter, Bahrain’s embassy in Washington DC wrote, “Please be cautious of protests or crowded areas occurring around the US,” and listed emergency contact numbers for the embassy.

Meanwhile the government of the Bahamas issued a statement as well: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration has taken note of the recent tensions in some American cities over shootings of young black males by police officers.

We wish to advise all Bahamians traveling to the US but especially to the affected cities to exercise appropriate caution generally.”

Two US states in particular have faced scrutiny. Both Mississippi and North Carolina recently passed anti-LGBT legislation that resulted in a UK travel alert warning gay Britons traveling to the United States to exercise caution. “The U.S. is an extremely diverse society and attitudes towards LGBT people differ hugely across the country,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement issued in April.

“LGBT travelers may be affected by legislation passed recently in the states of North Carolina and Mississippi. Before traveling please read our general travel advice for the LGBT community.” Meanwhile, the United States has issued 13 travel warnings and alerts in the past month for countries including Yemen, Haiti, Kenya, Laos, and Bangladesh.