U.S. State Department Warning About Traveling to Mexico

The U.S. State department has issued a new travel warning for U.S citizens traveling to Mexico. Skirmishes between Mexican authorities and the drug cartels in border towns and elsewhere are being described as "small unit combat" and in some cases foreign bystanders have been caught in the cross fire resulting in injuries and death.

 

Although large-scale confrontations between authorities and the cartels have occurred across Mexico they have recently became more frequent in Northern Mexico in towns such as Tijuana, Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez and others. The border towns can erupt into combat zones as government officials confront cartels that are using automatic weapons and hand grenades in their fight for the valuable Northern drug trade routs.

U.S. citizens are being advised to cooperate fully with any official Mexican checkpoints they may in counter. They are also advised to be extremely aware of their surroundings at all times, travel only on main roads (Toll roads are the most secure) and avoid any areas known for drugs or prostitution as well as isolated areas. The U.S. Embassy and consulates will issue travel advisories asking their employees and tourist to stay away from certain roads or areas of the country due to dangerous conditions and criminal activities, be aware of these advisories and stay up to date.

Criminals along the border region are known to be heavily armed and have used police and military uniforms as well as vehicles that appear to be official in the commission of various crimes.

The drug war in Mexico is having a dramatic impact on Mexican and U.S. Businesses located in border towns, the fear of violence has led many U.S. shoppers to refrain from their usual shopping trips south of the border. In many cases merchants are reporting that sales are down by as much as 75%. Gabriel Lara, a Mexican businessman, said:

“The economy is very bad. We need your money,”

Sharelene Reams from Arizona said:

“I haven’t been down shopping for a long time just because of what we heard about the shootings six months or so ago,”

Mexican tourists who do not live in the Northern region may otherwise visit the U.S. border states, but due to the ever-increasing violence they are afraid to travel through the area.