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The kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico, which got a lot of attention, sent shock waves through the country. Last week, two people were killed in the border city of Matamoros when they were caught in the crossfire of a fight between drug cartels.
Many people are wondering what will happen to the popular tourist spot and whether or not Mexico is safe to visit. The four Americans—one woman and two men from South Carolina—crossed the southern border last Friday to get plastic surgery. At the same time, a shootout between members of a drug cartel broke out.
In videos shared on social media, the gunmen can be seen pulling the Americans out of their car and driving away in broad daylight. Tuesday, Mexican officials said they had found two bodies, and the other two people were taken back to the U.S.
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With the deaths of two Americans in Matamoros, a Mexican border town is wondering what will happen next.
Violence near border cities is not uncommon, and it can involve Mexicans or other migrants without drawing much attention. Americans, on the other hand, don’t usually get involved. Officials said that the kidnapping was probably a mistaken identity, but the FBI is still looking into it.
There were also questions about how the governments of Mexico and the U.S. would respond, which could affect how often people travel to Mexico. A harsh response could cause “a wave of violence that gets worse before it gets better,” said Michael Ballard, the director of intelligence at the travel security company Global Guardian.
At the moment, Americans are warned not to travel to Mexico because of crime and kidnapping. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the State Department is “serious” about giving “clear, timely, and reliable information about every country in the world” so those travellers can make smart choices about where to go.
Is Mexico safe to travel to?
In 2021, almost 29 million people from the United States went to Mexico. The most recent numbers from the U.S. State Department show that about 75 Americans were killed in Mexico that same year.
Ballard says that when it comes to travel and safety, Mexico is “a tricky place” because “the security landscape and the security dynamic are so different from state to state and city to city.”
In Mexico, each state has its own travel advisory, which is different from some other countries.
Because of violent crime, the agency said that people should not go to the states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas.
“You probably don’t want to go to one of these border cities,” Ballard said because cartels “contest these ports of entry pretty heavily and fight for their economic control.”
In regards to what “Jean-Pierre said, “We’ve been very clear that you shouldn’t go to Warning. Again, the State Department put that out. Before going on a trip, we want Americans to read these alerts.”
Popular tourist spots like Quintana Roo, Nayarit, and Mexico City have warnings that say “exercise increased caution when travelling to,” and Jalisco, where Puerto Vallarta is, has a warning that says “reconsider travel to.” When going to Yucatan, which has the popular attraction Chichén Itzá, travellers can “take normal precautions.”
How likely is it that cartel violence will happen?
“I don’t think anyone can give a 100% guarantee that violence from cartels won’t happen. We know that drug violence has been a problem in Mexico and that cartels operate in many parts of the country, just like they do in other countries,” “Latina entrepreneur Vanessa Karel, who started Greether, a travel company that helps women travel with less risk, said.
“But it is well known that violence is more common in some places than others. Please do your best to find out where they are, “she told me. Karel said to stay away from these places and not do anything that has to do with drugs.
Ballard agreed and made the following comparison: “Lightning strikes are very rare, but your chances of getting hit go up if you are on top of a tree during a storm.” That’s how I feel about being in and around some of Mexico’s border cities, which are more dangerous.
Cancun is less likely than Colima to be a place where you get caught up in cartel activity.
Since Mexico’s economy depends a lot on money from tourists, cartels “tend to stay away from harming or hurting Americans because they know the response would be pretty severe,” Ballard said.
The Mexican government has also done a number of things to keep tourists safe, such as sending tourist police to areas with a lot of tourists. Most of the time, these officers speak English and are easy to spot.
“Travelers will face less risk if they stay in hotels and neighbourhoods with high ratings and hire tour guides to show them around,” said Karel.
Should people worry that they might be taken hostage in Mexico?
Ballard said that the biggest risk for Americans is “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” It’s rare for cartels to hold Americans hostage, for money.
He does say that “express kidnappings” sometimes happen, not just in Mexico but also in other countries. In this situation, a tourist who is probably drunk and wandering around downtown is taken hostage, driven to ATMs, and forced to withdraw money. Most of the time, they get fired after that.
What should you do if you see cartel crime or run into it?
Ballard said that if you see or hear about cartel crimes like express kidnappings or car thefts, you should tell the U.S. embassy or the local equivalent of 911.
“You should make sure there is a record of something like that.” He also said that, depending on where you are, it could take a long time for someone to help you.
The State Department says that if something goes wrong, you’ll probably have to use local resources to fix it.
He told them that the Global Guardian app has a panic button that will connect them to a safe place, like a hospital, 24/7.
He said that what you do depends on the situation, and sometimes it’s best to work together.
How to stay safe
Karel’s most important tip for going to Mexico is “to make plans to go to places that are made for you to go. Don’t try to go to a place that not even the locals feel safe going to,” “she told me.
She also told people to be aware of their surroundings. “We worry that people who go to Mexico think they can go just about anywhere, especially if they don’t look like locals,” she said. “They should be aware of how much they stand out and how much they know about the area they’re going to.”
Here are some more travel safety tips for Mexico:
Travel during the day and, especially at night, don’t walk around in places you don’t know.
Ballard said that you shouldn’t walk around with your head down or your phone in your hand because that makes you an easy target for thieves.
“Please ask reputable travel businesses and, most importantly, check travel advisories and what the tourism boards say. They are there for a reason, and many of us are working to make cities safer and more sustainable,” Karel said.
Sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, a free service that allows U.S. travellers to get real-time safety alerts from the U.S. Embassy about their destination.
Before you went to a high-risk area, the State Department suggested you give important documents and points of contact to someone at home and make a plan for how to get in touch if something went wrong.
Use your phone to let someone back home know where you are while you are travelling.
Think about getting travel insurance that covers kidnapping or paying a ransom. Depending on the plan, it can pay for the ransom, emergency evacuation, and any negotiations that need to take place.
As long as you stay in resort areas and use common sense, as you would anywhere else, staying safe should be pretty easy.
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