Mexico Travel Alert issued by US State Department

[Xenocrates]

By Gary A. Warner, Travel Editor, Orange County Register

The U.S. State Department has added it's big voice to the growing chorus reporting that violence in areas of Mexico near the border with the United States has become so prevalent that travelers need to consider whether they should visit.

The new "travel alert," one step down from the stronger "travel warning" was issued Tuesday in Washington, D.C. It says:

The alert gave official status to news reports of an increase in drug-related murders and kidnappings in and around the border towns of Tijuana, Chihuahua and Ciudad Juarez. The Associated Press reported earlier this year that word of alleged violence against tourists – including rape – had severely cut into U.S. tourism to popular spots such as Tijuana, Rosarito Beach, and Ensenada. The new State Department warning also lists an increase in car thefts.

U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza issued a statement Monday that attempted to straddle the line that many in the U.S. government have taken – putting out the word that Americans shouldn't let their guard down while in Mexico, but stopping short of suggesting they cancel trips.

Rest of article at http://www.ocregister.com/articles/mexico-travel-state-2019343-border-crime