The deaths of two Americans following their abductions in Matamoros, Mexico, have highlighted the ongoing violence among cartel members south of the border.
As spring break and Easter travel seasons approach, the U.S. Department of State is asking American citizens to be cautious when visiting various states and cities in Mexico.
Tamaulipas, the Mexican state where the Americans traveled to last week, is one of six states under the “Do Not Travel To” advisory due to crime and kidnapping. See the full list below.
According to the FBI, the two victims were among a group of four that traveled from South Carolina to the city of Matamoros on Friday. They traveled there because one of them wanted to get a tummy tuck, a relative told the Associated Press.
After crossing the border from Brownsville — the southernmost point of Texas — they were caught in the crossfire of rival cartel groups.
A video showed them being kidnapped and loaded into the back of a truck, the AP reported. A woman from Mexico died in the fighting.
On Tuesday, authorities confirmed that two of the Americans were found dead, and one was injured. The Americans were found in a rural area east of Matamoros, and one person has been arrested.
The city of Matamoros has for years been the base for Gulf drug cartel members, who often fight among rival gangs or among themselves. Thousands of people have been reported missing in that state amid the violence.
“Organized crime activity – including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault – is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria,” the federal travel advisory states. “Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments.”
Tamaulipas is the only Texas-Mexico border state listed under the “Do Not Travel To” distinction, though Chihuahua is listed under “Reconsider Travel.”
Federal authorities have these distinctions in place to limit travel for U.S. government employees and to give guidance to U.S. citizens.
“Violent crime – such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery – is widespread and common in Mexico,” the advisory states. “The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by U.S. government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted. In many states, local emergency services are limited outside the state capital or major cities.”
See below for a list of Mexico travel advisories.
Do not travel to:
- Colima state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Guerrero state due to crime.
- Michoacan state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Sinaloa state due to crime and kidnapping
- Tamaulipas state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Zacatecas state due to crime and kidnapping.
Reconsider travel to:
- Baja California state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Chihuahua state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Durango state due to crime.
- Guanajuato state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Jalisco state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Morelos state due to crime.
- Sonora state due to crime and kidnapping.
Exercise increased caution when traveling to:
- Aguascalientes state due to crime.
- Baja California Sur state due to crime.
- Chiapas state due to crime.
- Coahuila state due to crime.
- Hidalgo state due to crime.
- Mexico City due to crime.
- Mexico State due to crime.
- Nayarit state due to crime.
- Nuevo Leon state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Oaxaca state due to crime.
- Puebla state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Queretaro state due to crime.
- Quintana Roo state due to crime and kidnapping.
- San Luis Potosi state due to crime and kidnapping.
- Tabasco state due to crime.
- Tlaxcala state due to crime.
- Veracruz state due to crime.
Exercise normal precautions when traveling to:
- Campeche state
- Yucatan state
Click here for more guidelines on traveling to Mexico.
Read more: 2 kidnapped Americans found dead in Mexico, 2 others alive