U.S. Orders Relatives of Embassy Staff in Venezuela to Leave Country<br />By NICHOLAS CASEYJULY 27, 2017<br />The State Department on Thursday ordered family members of American government employees working at the United States Embassy in Caracas to leave the country<br />and gave the employees the option to join them before a controversial vote to begin rewriting Venezuela’s Constitution.<br />In a travel warning issued Thursday, the State Department also said<br />that Venezuelan security forces had arrested "individuals, including U.S. citizens, and detained them for long period with little or no evidence of a crime" or "access to proper medical care, clean water and food." Ana Vanessa Herrero contributed reporting.<br />President Nicolás Maduro has ordered the creation of a new body, known as a constituent assembly, which would rule<br />above all other government branches for a period of time in which it would also rewrite the Constitution.<br />Mr. Trump, go home!" Mr. Maduro shouted in English to a large crowd, calling him an "emperor." On Friday,<br />Mr. Maduro’s opponents plan to send people to the streets for a last-ditch effort to protest the vote.<br />President Trump has warned that if Mr. Maduro proceeds with the vote, he will impose "strong<br />and swift economic actions." Please verify you’re not a robot by clicking the box.<br />The warning comes as the United States and Venezuela approach a showdown over a vote scheduled for Sunday<br />that could lead to a restructuring of Venezuela’s government.
