United States updates travel advisory for Mexico

The U.S. Department of State issued an updated travel advisory for Mexico before the start of the busy winter vacation period about the dangers of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas.

The U.S. government alerted its citizens and advised them not to travel near five Mexican states due to the high incidence of crimes and high levels of violence in them.

The entities in question are Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas, according to the most recent update of the travel alert of the State Department of the government headed by Republican Donald Trump.

"Exercise increased caution in Mexico due to crime and kidnapping. Some areas are at greater risk. Violent crime, like homicide, kidnapping, car theft and robbery, is widespread," the alert said.

For 11 other entities, the U.S. government recommends its citizens reconsider their travel. They are Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Jalisco, Estado de México, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sonora and Zacatecas.

Although Guanajuato is the Mexican state with the highest number of homicides so far in 2019, according to official figures, it is not among those whom the United States suggests to Americans not to travel.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico reported, through a statement, that the level of alert for travel to Mexican territory remains at level two, which represents "exercise greater caution with some states.

"The safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the State Department's top priorities, and we provide our citizens with relevant information so they can make well-informed decisions before traveling," the diplomatic representation said.

In this update, alerts were withdrawn for the municipalities of Gómez Palacios, in Durango, and San Pedro Garza García, in Nuevo León.

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 Mexicanist Source US State Department