These are the places in Mexico that have U.S. Travel Alert

The U.S. government expanded travel alerts and restrictions on its citizens from visiting the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacan, Guerrero, and Tamaulipas.

The increase in criminal activity, the wave of violence and the risk of kidnappings in Mexico alerted the U.S. government.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security expanded its list of places it does not recommend its citizens visit because of the violence. Washington requests not to travel to six states and suggests reconsidering the visit to 11 others.

The Mexican states of Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, and Tamaulipas make up the black list that the U.S. government labeled to avoid tourist, family and business visits by its citizens.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs of the U.S. Department of State extended the security alert in force since last April, due to "increased criminal activity" in the state of Chihuahua, where nine members of the LeBarón family were massacred.

Chihuahua capital already had a travel restriction for U.S. government officials, who could only use Highway 45 and were prohibited from crossing the colonies of Morelos, Villa and Zapata.

Beginning April 9, the U.S. State Department alerted its citizens to the high crime rates and kidnapping risks in the states of Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, and Tamaulipas.

Even on its travel information page, more than half of Mexico's territory is listed at level 3, which means a "high risk of violence," prompting U.S. citizens to reconsider their trips. The rest of the states are at level 2 and the U.S. government advises them to take precautions during their travels because an illegal activity has increased.

States at Level 3

Sonora

Chihuahua

Coahuila

Nuevo León

San Luis Potosi

Zacatecas

Durango

Jalisco

Nayarit

Morelos

State of Mexico

The consular office has offered U.S. citizens the following recommendations to follow during their stay in Mexican territory:

Call 911 for police and emergency assistance

Stay alert to your surroundings

Check local media for the latest information

Beginning in January 2018, the U.S. government established a new security alert system for travelers, which classifies countries around the world according to their level of danger. It is a tool aimed at tourists and business people who plan to travel abroad.

The ranking of Travel Recommendations of the State Department establishes level 4 as the most dangerous, in which they are labeled with the recommendation "Do not travel" destinations such as Syria, North Korea or Somalia.

In category 3, where they recommend reconsidering travel "due to serious security risks," the U.S. State Department placed Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Venezuela. In all cases it warns of waves of violence and criminality, as well as shortages of water, food, and medicine.

At the time of 2018, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia were placed in category 2 and advised U.S. citizens to exercise caution and be aware of the risks of insecurity.

Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Ecuador are in category 1 of the ranking drawn up almost two years ago. For all of these countries, the U.S. recommends "exercising normal precautions: this is the lowest warning for insecurity. There are risks in all international travel.

By Agencies