Violence in Nogales, warns U.S.; don’t change travel plans, say Mexican officials

On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department updated its travel alert for Mexico, adding Nogales to its list of places where American citizens should be particularly cautious.

The border city in the state of Sonora, along with Cuidad Juarez and Tijuana, are “among the cities which have recently experienced public shootouts during daylight hours in shopping centers and other public venues,” said the alert. The increased violence in these areas is related to Mexican drug cartels, which the U.S. said are “engaged in an increasingly violent fight for control of narcotics trafficking routes along the U.S.-Mexico border in an apparent response to the Government of Mexico’s initiatives to crack down on narco-trafficking organizations.”

In addition, the alert warned American travelers to be particularly cautious driving on Route 15, between Hermosillo and Nogales, where some U.S. citizens have been “harassed.”

Not surprisingly, Nogales city officials have been quick to respond to the warning, reassuring travelers to Sonora that the violence is limited to those involved in the drug trade. According to an Arizona Daily Star article, “Nogales, Son.: Tourists needn’t fear,” Nogales Mayor Marco Antonio Martínez Dabdoub said that the alert “has generated unnecessary fear and concern.” Though Nogales has seen a significant increase in homicides this year, “there haven’t been any tourists injured or killed,” Martínez was reported as saying.

An earlier Arizona Daily Star article reported other reactions, from tourism industry operators and employees in Sonora who believe that the Route 15 component of the alert was going too far. “Nobody is seeking out Americans to harass them or bother them,” said San Carlos, Mexico, diving operator Mike Huhn in the article.

According to an Associated Press article, Alejandro Ramos, a spokesman for the Mexican  consulate in Tucson, stated that the government is addressing the violence and cautioned against taking the alert for more than a warning. “… for the most part, Mexico is still the same place,” he is quoted as saying.

Has the U.S. State Department’s warning update made you think twice about visiting Nogales or other destinations in Mexico? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

– Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: U.S.-Mexico border at Nogales, Mexico; bavetta / Flickr]

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 at 11:48 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Arizona, Mexico, News, Tips & Advice. 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.