The U.S. Slaps A “Do Not Travel” Warning On Five Mexican States

The U.S. State Department system has applied strict “do not travel” advisories in five Mexican states this Wednesday. This warning would put Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacan, and Guerrero in the same category was war-torn countries such as Syria, Somalia, and Yemen.

According to the statement, the states in question are known hotspots of drug cartel activity, either maintaining constant trafficking routes or cultivating a large number of drug-crops.

Tamaulipas is situated on the U.S. border while Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacan, and Guererro are on the Pacific Coast. The State Department has a history of discouraging US citizens from traveling to certain areas of those states, however, this is the first time the countries were given a level 4 warning, which is the highest level of potential dangers.

Mexico in its entirety currently has a level 2 rating, which means that Americans are advised to be extra cautious due to high criminality rates. Besides issuing the strict advisories, Wednesday saw the State Department give 11 other Mexican states a level 3 warning, meaning that American citizens should “reconsider” traveling to those areas. Half of Mexico currently has level 3 or 4 warnings.

The states where Americans should reconsider travel include the State of Mexico, Mexico’s most heavily populated state, Jalisco, the Puerto Vallarta resorts and Chapala and Ajijic, where expat communities reside.

However, the U.S. travel advisory department has said that there is “no restriction on U.S. government employees for stays in… Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Ajijic,”

States, where level 3 warnings apply, are mostly in the northern part of Mexico, including the border states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Sonora. In addition, Durango, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosi currently are marked with level 3 warnings.

As of yet, Mexico’s federal tourism department has not commented on the new advisories.

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