State Department Issues Harsh Warnings About Mexico Travel

Five states get “do not travel” advisory, while travelers are advised to “exercise increased caution.”

Flyers planning a trip to the Mexican states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa or Tamalipas are being told to cancel their travels immediately due to the threats of crime and violence, while everyone is asked to “exercise increased caution” when visiting America’s southern neighbor. The State Department recently re-issued a travel advisory for the nation, giving the highest warning possible to the five states while increasing warnings for everyone going to Mexico in 2018.

The five states are singled out due to increased violence and crime statistics in the area, but for varying reasons. In Guerrero, the State Department warns of “armed groups” which “operate independently of the government,” with the threat of violence towards tourists.

Tamaulipas has the most specific warning, claiming the state is prone to “violent crime, such as murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, extortion, and sexual assault,” as well as the potential of kidnapping in exchange for ransom. In Colima, Michoacán and Sinaloa, flyers are warned about generic violent crime and criminal organizations.

With the new designations, the five Mexican states join a select group of places Americans are urged to avoid in their travels. Other nations on this list include Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. In addition, 12 of Mexico’s 31 states have a Level Three warning, which presses travelers to reconsider their travels to those regions.

Despite the new warnings, the Mexican Tourism Board reported a 6.7 percent increase in travel throughout 2017 compared to the previous year. In a statement to Fox News, the Tourism Board noted: “Mexico’s major international tourism destinations have been explicitly listed as having no travel restrictions.” These include the popular resort destinations of Cancun, Cabo San Lucas and the Mayan Riviera.

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