Mexico travel alert from U.S. State Department

Citing rising violence, the U.S. State Department’s latest Mexico alert urges travelers to delay trips to parts of Michoacan and Chihuahua states.

The alert, issued Thursday, advises U.S. citizens to delay unnecessary travel to those areas and to exercise “extreme caution” if a visit is necessary.

The alert notes the abduction and killing of two resident U.S. citizens in Chihuahua in July. It gives no details from Michoacan (which includes the city of Morelia and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, which draws many visitors), and a spokesman said he was not immediately able to supply more than was in the posted alert.

The State Department alert reported that amid the fighting between authorities and drug cartels, assaults, murders and kidnappings have been on the rise in the states of Durango, Chihuahua and Coahuila, and that robberies, homicides, petty thefts and carjackings have jumped in Tijuana and northern Baja California.

In Chihuahua, the department recommended that Americans avoid the Guadalupe Bravo area southeast of Ciudad Juarez and the northwest quarter of the state, including the city of Nuevo Casas Grandes and surrounding communities.

American citizens have been victimized by drug-related violence in both areas, the State Department said. These areas are most easily reached by Americans who drive across the border at Columbus, N.M., Fabens, Texas, or Fort Hancock, Texas.

A State Department spokesman said he was unaware of any dramatic changes along the Chihuahua-Los Mochis route of the Copper Canyon railroad, a popular tourist attraction.

Meanwhile, the State Department has also restricted U.S. government employees from nonessential travel within the state of Durango; the northwest quadrant of Chihuahua and the area southeast of Ciudad Juarez; and all parts of the state of Coahuila south of Mexican Highways 25 and 22 and the Alamos River.

Battles between authorities and drug cartels have included recent firefights (sometimes including automatic weapons and grenades) in several cities in northern Mexico, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City, Monterrey and Ciudad Juarez. The alert also noted that assailants in border area sometimes wear uniforms and use vehicles that resemble police cars.

Throughout Mexico, the State Department said, American travelers and expats should try to travel on main roads during daylight hours, especially toll roads, which are typically more secure. Officials also recommend that Americans avoid traveling alone, put away fancy jewelry, stay in well-known tourist areas and leave itineraries with friends or family before travel in such areas.

— Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times staff writer

Photo: The main cathedral in the historic district of Morelia, capital of Mexico’s Michoacan state. Credit: Geraldine Wilkins / Los Angeles Times.

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This entry was posted on Friday, August 21, 2009 at 12:16 pm by Christopher Reynolds and is filed under Acapulco, Baja California, Business Travel, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Cozumel, Frequent Flier, Global, Guadalajara, Ixtapa & Zihuatanejo, Latin America & Caribbean, Los Cabos, Mexico, Mexico City, News, Tips & Advice, Oaxaca City, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose del Cabo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.