As Americans prepare to travel for spring break, the fallout continues from the kidnapping of four Americans traveling to northern Mexico.
On Friday, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) issued its own travel advisory for Mexico, urging Texans to avoid traveling to the country for spring break “due to the ongoing violence across that country.”
“Drug cartel violence and other criminal activity pose a significant threat to the safety of anyone crossing into Mexico at this time,” DPS Director Steven McCraw said at the DPS Mexico Travel Advisory. “We have a duty to inform the public about security, travel risks and threats. Based on the volatile nature of cartel activity and the violence we are seeing there, we urge people to avoid traveling to Mexico in this moment”.
The warning comes 10 days after four Americans traveling to Mexico for cosmetic surgery were kidnapped in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, one of the regions on the US State Department’s “Do Not Travel” list, and a of the regions that Canada recommends to its citizens. avoid all trips to
“DPS understands that many people travel to Mexico without incident, but serious risks cannot be ignored. All travelers are encouraged to carefully investigate any planned travel and, again, consider postponing or canceling travel to Mexico at this time.” the notice says.
The Texas DPS cited other advisories, including the US State Department’s travel advisory, in its own announcement. He State Department Warning advises Americans to be aware of crime in certain parts of the country.
“Violent crime, such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery, is widespread and common in Mexico,” the warning reads. “The US government has a limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by US government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted. In many states, local emergency services are limited outside of the state capital or major cities.
The warning is not the same for all of Mexico; It is region specific. There are six states to which the United States warns against travel: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. Tamaulipas is the region where the most recent incident occurred.
Then there are seven states the US is warning Americans to “reconsider” traveling to: Baja California, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, and Sonora.
Everywhere else in Mexico it falls under the banners “exercise increased caution” or “exercise normal precautions.” That includes some tourist spots like Quintana Roo, Mexico City and Baja California Sur.
