U.S. travel advisory warns of violent crime and kidnappings in parts of Mexico 

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday issued a travel advisory for Americans going to Mexico, warning that several areas are seeing a lot of “high-risk crime and kidnapping.”

“Violent crime – such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery – is widespread and common in Mexico,” reads the travel advisory. 

“The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by U.S. government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted. In many states, local emergency services are limited outside the state capital or major cities,” it continues. 

The following Mexican states were placed on the travel advisory list with different levels of concern. The states that the U.S. recommends tourists not to travel to include Colima state, Guerrero state, Michoacan state, Sinaloa state, Tamaulipas state, and Zacatecas state, mostly due to the increase in crime and kidnappings seen in these states.

The State Department asks Americans to reconsider travel to Baja California, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, and Sonora. 

Additionally, the U.S. is asking Americans traveling to Mexico to exercise increased caution when traveling to: Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, Chiapas, Coahuila, Hidalgo, Mexico City, Mexico State, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz. 

For those individuals planning to travel to Mexico, the State Department advises them to do the following: 

• Keep traveling companions and family back home informed of your travel plans. If separating from your travel group, send a friend your GPS location. If taking a taxi alone, take a photo of the taxi number and/or license plate and text it to a friend.
• Use toll roads when possible and avoid driving alone or at night. In many states, police presence and emergency services are extremely limited outside the state capital or major cities.
• Exercise increased caution when visiting local bars, nightclubs, and casinos.
• Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive watches or jewelry.
• Be extra vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs.

The travel advisory follows several days of violent crimes in several cities in Baja California, including Tijuana, as cartels threatened violence against anyone who was seen on the streets. U.S. consulate employees were told to shelter in place for the time being.