5 Mexican states get highest US 'do not travel' warning

[Judi Lynn]

Mark Stevenson, Associated Press
Updated 7:18 pm, Wednesday, January 10, 2018

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Five states in Mexico now have the sternest "do not travel" advisories under a revamped U.S. State Department system unveiled Wednesday, putting them on the same level as war-torn countries like Syria, Yemen and Somalia.

The five states are Tamaulipas on the U.S. border and Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero on the Pacific coast. All the states are hotspots of drug cartel activity, either hosting trafficking routes or extensive drug-crop cultivation.

The State Department had previously discouraged travel to all or part of those states but the new warnings are sterner, placing them on a level 4 warning, the highest level of potential danger.

Mexico as a whole has a level 2 rating, meaning Americans should "exercise increased caution" because of concerns about crime. But an additional 11 Mexican states got a level 3 warning Wednesday, which urges people to "reconsider travel" there. Mexico has 31 states, half of which are now under level 3 or 4 warnings.

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/5-Mexican-states-get-US-do-not-travel-warning-12488170.php

[Bradshaw3]

1. Sorry I have to wonder about this

I know there is violence in those states and maybe even an uptick. But it usually is in certain areas, even in Sinaloa. Is this from State Department career people or because of something from the dump administration passed down? A few years ago bandits robbed a train in Sinaloa and a drug cartel hunted them down and killed them because of fear of bringing increased heat.

[GatoGordo]

2. Very sad

We used to vacation in Mexico early in our marriage. Acapulco for our honeymoon, Mazatlan for many years after that. Both states (Guerrero and Sinaloa) have become shooting galleries. (Acapulco was bad even in the 1980's... most visitors were Mexicans and not foreign tourists) We thought about revisiting Mazatlan, but were warned off by our travel agent who said that kidnapping "gringos for ransom" is getting more and more common.

Such wonderful, hard working people. What a shame.