Victoria Glakas
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON – (WMAL) The U.S. Department of State has issued a warning for U.S citizens to avoid traveling to certain areas in Mexico due to increased criminal activity by organized groups.
In a statement the State Department said “U.S. government personnel and their families are prohibited from personal travel to all areas to which the Department recommends “defer non-essential travel” in this Travel Warning. As a result of security precautions that U.S. government personnel must take while traveling to parts of Mexico, our response time to emergencies involving U.S. citizens may be hampered or delayed.” The Mexican government has deployed federal police and military personnel throughout the country as part of its efforts to combat organized criminal groups.
U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery in various Mexican states. However, the State Department says that “there is no evidence that criminal organizations have targeted U.S. citizens.”
Some areas that are being recommended as “defer non essential travel” include:
- Chihuahua
- Colima
- Guadalajara
- La Paz
- Tamaulipas
- Teotihuacan
- Toluca
To see a complete list of areas affected by the travel warning, please click here to read the complete state-by-state assessment of security conditions throughout Mexico.
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