Officials urge Americans not to travel to island spot amid kidnappings, 6-figure ransom demands

Sharing the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, Haiti has been gripped by escalating gang violence and instability.

"Ransom demands are typically in the high tens of thousands to high hundreds of thousands of dollars," the release said.

Critically, officials also said that local law enforcement "has an extremely limited ability to respond to serious crimes, particularly outside Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien."

The statement warned, "When traveling to Haiti, do not engage in activity or behave in a manner that could be in violation of local law and subject you to arrest and detention. Be mindful of potential violations of law."

Level 4 is the State Department's highest level of warning, meaning that Americans may face life-threatening risks and should not travel to the country.

Although the Level 4 advisory has been in place for some time, the State Department added new warnings in this month's update.

The advisory also cited unrest, stating that protests and roadblocks are "common and unpredictable," and that protesters "sometimes damage or destroy infrastructure and can become violent."

The release noted that "armed, anti-gang vigilante groups attack and, in many cases, have killed individuals, including U.S. citizens, suspected of being gang members based only on rumors or incorrect information."

The advisory also advises Americans to "not physically resist any robbery attempt" and to "caution when walking or driving at night."

Haiti joins a list of other countries that remain on the U.S. State Department's travel advisory list.