EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – The U.S. State Department is calling on Americans to stay away from the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas and to reconsider travel to Baja California, Sonora, and Chihuahua.
The latest travel advisory posted on August 12 cites violent crime in those states, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery. It also alludes to a “risk of terroristic violence” in some areas.
Tamaulipas – where Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Matamoros border the South Texas communities of Laredo, Hidalgo County, and Brownsville – is designated as a Level 4 risk: Do not travel.
“Criminal groups target public and private buses as well as cars traveling through Tamaulipas. Criminals often kidnap passengers for ransom,” the advisory states. “Heavily armed members of criminal groups often patrol the state, especially along the border region from Reynosa to Nuevo Laredo. They act without fear of punishment in these areas.”
In Chihuahua, turf battles between criminal groups have led to violence in restaurants and shopping centers frequented by American tourists and government employees. The State Department says Americans and lawful permanent residents of the U.S. have been kidnapped in Juarez.
One such case reported last month allegedly involved the kidnapping and murder of a teenage girl from New Mexico.
The State Department is restricting travel of government employees to tourist areas in downtown Juarez and some avenues leading to commercial districts. Going anywhere close to the Anapra neighborhood in northwest Juarez – long a springboard for illegal crossings into the New Mexico desert – is prohibited.
Travel to the Copper Canyon is also off-limits to U.S. government employees.
The State Department also warned of ongoing “red flags” of criminal activity in the eastern outskirts of the city opposite Socorro, San Elizario, and Fort Hancock, Texas.
Mexican officials push back: Nothing bad happens to visitors
Francisco Moreno Villafuerte, director of tourism promotion for the City of Juarez, said the travel warning could hurt the city and does not reflect the overall peaceful environment.
“When people come to Juarez, they fall in love with it. We are hospitable people, and what we have to offer to visitors is unique,” Moreno said.
He said the city is planning a tequila and mariachi festival and a street fest on Juarez Avenue – a street leading to a U.S. port of entry – and does not hesitate to invite U.S. residents to come.
Moreno said Juarez’s reputation is periodically tarnished by tragic events that he believes get unwarranted attention.
Other Juarez officials told Border Report thousands of commuters cross the El Paso-Juarez ports of entry daily to work, study, visit relatives, and shop. Nothing bad happens to them.
“The reality is that people know they can cross to Juarez, have fun, return to their homes in El Paso with no problem at all,” said Ivan Perez, president of the Juarez Chamber of Commerce.
Regional concerns in Baja, Sonora
The State Department advises travelers going to Baja to drive on main highways and be aware that local criminal groups are fighting for control of drug and migrant smuggling routes.
The one glaring red flag is in the Mexicali Valley. Several mid-level drug traffickers and individuals caught intimidating and extorting businesses have been arrested in recent months, according to the state government.
In Sonora, the agency singles out the border city of Nogales and warns against government employees using public buses, taxis, or even ride-share services. It also urges travelers to drive on the Nogales to Hermosillo highway only during daylight hours and to avoid unnecessary stops.
Travel to the resort city of Puerto Penasco should be done only over Mexican Federal Highway 8, the State Department suggests.
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