The United States Department of State, led by Marco Rubio, has raised the alert level in its recommendations for U.S. citizens planning to travel to Spain. In an interactive map available on the department’s website, the travel advisory for Spain includes a level 3 risk zone — in this case Ceuta, due to the recent migration crisis — while the rest of the territory remains one level lower.
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This recommendation map classifies countries into four levels according to the risk for travelers: level 1 implies taking usual precautions, while level 4 recommends avoiding travel. In Western Europe, where several countries that have had disagreements with the president’s policies during Trump’s administration are located, most are at level 2 (“exercise increased caution”), the same as much of Africa, China, India, Cuba, or several states in Mexico.
U.S. places terrorism and lone attackers as a “constant threat” in Europe
In the specifications for European countries, the department highlights terrorism and theft as the most recurrent risks. In the case of Spain, it states that “the massive and uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta could generate unpredictable and dangerous security situations,” in an update added earlier this month.
For other European countries, such as Germany, the Department of State warns that “terrorist groups and lone attackers continue to pose a constant threat in Germany and Europe, attacking people in public places with knives, small arms, rudimentary explosive devices, and vehicles.”
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The U.S. travel recommendations contrast with another map: the Global Peace Index, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace. In this study, the ranking is very different, as most of the European continent is among the most peaceful countries. In the case of Spain, the Institute ranks it as the 27th safest country in the world, while Ecuador ranks 135th out of 163. However, according to the U.S. Department of State classification, both countries receive the same alert level.
According to the U.S. ranking
Denmark has a higher risk level than Argentina or El Salvador despite being the eleventh most peaceful country
In the case of countries like Argentina or El Salvador, whose governments, like those of Javier Milei or Nayib Bukele, maintain greater affinity with Washington’s policies, the recommendations are at the lowest possible level and advise “taking usual precautions.” Both states, ranked 72nd and 121st respectively in the Global Peace Index, present a lower security risk than Denmark according to the U.S. classification, despite the latter being the eleventh most peaceful country in the world.
The U.S. classification of European countries is framed within the Trump Administration’s desire to politically distance itself from the Old Continent. Through rhetoric critical of European Union policies in areas such as defense, immigration, or environmental regulation, the Republican government has made the differences between Washington and Brussels one of the pillars of its discourse, presenting the Ceuta migration crisis as a preview of what could happen in the United States under a Democratic government, or defending the idea that European countries are heading towards extinction.
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