State Dept upgrades travel advisory for El Salvador, considered safer than France, other European countries

The State Department upgraded the travel advisory for El Salvador on Tuesday, now ranking the Central American nation as safer than several European countries. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio credited El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele’s leadership as “crucial in improving the security of his country for foreign travelers.” 

“Gang activity, violent crime, and murders in El Salvador have significantly dropped,” Rubio wrote on X, announcing the U.S. travel advisory for El Salvador has been updated to “Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions.” 

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio sits next to President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on April 10, 2025.  (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

The travel advisory says “gang activity has decreased over the last three years,” and “this has caused a drop in violent crimes and murders.” 

“Keeping Americans safe overseas is our highest priority,” Rubio wrote. 

Many media users noted that the travel advisories for Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden all remain at “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution.” 

The State Department warns of the increased risk of “terrorism” in all countries. For France and Spain, “civil unrest” is also considered a concern for American travelers. 

“El Salvador just got the U.S. State Department’s travel gold star: Level 1: safest it gets,” Bukele wrote. 

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele smiles during the inauguration of the Key Institute, a private institution of higher education specializing in engineering and science, in San Salvador on March 19, 2025. (MARVIN RECINOS/AFP via Getty Images)

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“EL SALVADOR NOW SAFER THAN MOST OF EUROPE,” one X user, who has millions of followers, wrote. In reaction to the contrast, Elon Musk, the tech billionaire heading the Department of Government Efficiency, responded, “Wow.” 

Musk has been a vocal critic of mass migration in Western Europe, and the billionaire earlier this year campaigned on behalf of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party in Germany ahead of national elections in February. 

Alleged gang members are seen in a cell at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, in San Vicente, El Salvador, on April 4, 2025.  (Alex Pena/Anadolu via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, will welcome Bukele to the White House on April 14 for an official working visit to discuss “El Salvador’s partnership on using their supermax prison for Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gang members, and how El Salvador’s cooperation with the United States has become a model for others to work with,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during Tuesday’s press briefing. 

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently visited the Terrorism Confinement Center, abbreviated CECOT, in El Salvador, where the Trump administration so far has sent more than 200 people removed under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.