The State Department has issued a new travel alert regarding travel to the US-Mexico border region in northern Mexico, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City, and Cuidad Juarez. The alert warns of an increase in public shootouts, murders, and kidnapping-for-ransom and warns Americans traveling to the border region to only visit in "legitimate business and tourist areas," during daylight hours and to be especially alert to safety and security concerns. The report further warns of public shootouts during daylight hours near shopping areas, use of full or partial police or military uniforms and vehicles resembling police vehicles, and violence occurring in the course of public demonstrations (which, the alert states, foreigners are prohibited from participating in by the Mexican Constitution). The full report is available here.
In all, this alert basically warns of an uptick in violence in Mexican border towns, but otherwise simply confirms what anyone who's ever traveled to these border cities knows: it's a rough place to be. I've traveled to other places in Mexico on business, such as Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, and had a wonderful time and we never feared for our safety. While the fact that we were nearly always in the company of local businesspersons may have contributed to the overall feeling of safety that we had during these trips, we certainly never witnessed a shootout or even heard gunshots. Having seen the culture and amenities offered by these interior cities, I now generally skip the border cities.
In addition to the increased safety of interior cities, these cities are often a mere one-hour flight away from most western U.S. cities - much less hassle than driving!
In all, this alert basically warns of an uptick in violence in Mexican border towns, but otherwise simply confirms what anyone who's ever traveled to these border cities knows: it's a rough place to be. I've traveled to other places in Mexico on business, such as Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, and had a wonderful time and we never feared for our safety. While the fact that we were nearly always in the company of local businesspersons may have contributed to the overall feeling of safety that we had during these trips, we certainly never witnessed a shootout or even heard gunshots. Having seen the culture and amenities offered by these interior cities, I now generally skip the border cities.
In addition to the increased safety of interior cities, these cities are often a mere one-hour flight away from most western U.S. cities - much less hassle than driving!
