By Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News
Is it safe to travel to Mexico?
After violence rocked the country’s state of Jalisco in the days after Mexico’s military killed a reputed drug lord during an attempt to arrest him, the U.S. Department of State is warning Americans planning on traveling south of the border to exercise increased caution.
It warns Americans not travel to the Mexican states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. Guerrero is home to the beach resort towns of Acapulco and Ixtapa.
It also recommends U.S. citizens reconsider travel to the Mexican states of Baja California, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, and Sonora. Jalisco is home to the popular tourist destination, Puerto Vallarta.
U.S. officials warn there is a risk of violence in all of those states from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs, and criminal organizations.
Are Americans in danger in Mexico?
In those places to which the U.S. State Department urges Americans not travel, U.S. citizens have been kidnapped.
On Sunday, the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico advised Americans in Mexico to shelter in place “due to ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity.” On Monday, the agency said “the situation has returned to normal” in many parts of the country, but Puerto Vallarta was still experiencing flight disruptions.
Earlier this week, Michigan Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin advised any Michigan residents in Mexico to sign up for the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP. The program allows U.S. citizens and nationals to receive updated emergency information from the State Department.
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