Elevated view of the modern office buildings along Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City. The lower buildings to the right are located in the district of Polanco.
The U.S. Department of State has reissued a travel warning Tuesday in multiple states in Mexico, alerting American visitors to the high risk of crime and kidnappings in regions of the country.
The State Department warns travelers about cartel-related crime as well.
The travel advisory comes on the heels of a shelter-in-place alert in the Tijuana region, where cartel violence erupted last week in response to a series of arrests of drug cartel figures.
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Mexico sent hundreds of troops to the border region after cars, buses and businesses were set on fire. Images and videos shared on social media showed the chaos and destruction.
Aside from the warnings for everyday citizens, U.S. government employees have been direct to not travel alone, or to remote areas, avoid travel between cities after dark, and urged to use dispatched cars instead of taxis.
Here is a list of Mexican states where travel is not recommended:
Do Not Travel To:
- Colima state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Guerrero state due to crime.
- Michoacan state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Sinaloa state due to crime and kidnapping
- Tamaulipas state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Zacatecas state due to crime and kidnapping.
Reconsider Travel To:
- Baja California state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Chihuahua state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Durango state due to crime.
- Guanajuato state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Jalisco state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Morelos state due to crime.
- Sonora state due to crime and kidnapping.
Exercise Increased Caution When Traveling To:
- Aguascalientes state due to crime.
- Baja California Sur state due to crime.
- Chiapas state due to crime.
- Coahuila state due to crime.
- Hidalgo state due to crime.
- Mexico City due to crime.
- Mexico State due to crime.
- Nayarit state due to crime.
- Nuevo Leon state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Oaxaca state due to crime.
- Puebla state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Queretaro state due to crime.
- Quintana Roo state due to crime and kidnapping.
- San Luis Potosi state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Tabasco state due to crime.
- Tlaxcala state due to crime.
- Veracruz state due to crime.
Exercise Normal Precautions When Traveling To:
View a travel advisory map of Mexico here.
The Department of State site recommends that if you do travel despite the warnings, you should follow these safety rules:
- Keep traveling companions and family back home informed of your travel plans. If separating from your travel group, send a friend your GPS location. If taking a taxi alone, take a photo of the taxi number and/or license plate and text it to a friend.
- Use toll roads when possible and avoid driving alone or at night. In many states, police presence and emergency services are extremely limited outside the state capital or major cities.
- Exercise increased caution when visiting local bars, nightclubs, and casinos.
- Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive watches or jewelry.
- Be extra vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
- Follow the U.S. Embassy on Facebook and Twitter.
- Review the Country Security Report for Mexico.
- Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
