The US Embassy in Mexico has just issued a special advisory titled “Message to U.S. Citizens: Winter Season (Snowbird) Travel.”
That advisory reminds Americans that the State Department advises against travel for any reason to five Mexican states (see map below).
Those states are: Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas.
The State Department also advises U.S. citizens to “exercise caution in popular winter break spots. This includes San Carlos, Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), Los Cabos, and Mazatlán, among others, especially after dark.”
The advisory also warns US Citizens traveling by car about “legal checkpoints by the National Guard, military, or police. They may also encounter illegal ones set up by criminals to stop rivals or extort money. When approaching any checkpoint, cooperate. Avoid any behavior that appears aggressive. Fleeing can raise suspicion and lead to violence.”
The advisory also reminds US Citizens that “drug possession and use, including medical marijuana, is illegal in Mexico and may result in a lengthy jail sentence. Mexican cartels, criminal organizations and terrorist organizations are active in a violent struggle to control trafficking routes. U.S. citizens should not carry packages across the border for them.”
To read the entire advisory, which also contains information about necessary travel documents and fees, go HERE.
Would you feel safe traveling to Mexico during the Holidays?
Share your thoughts in the comments to this article!
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
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I used to go to Juarez, Monterrey, Toluca and Pastaje for work. I always arranged travel with reputed companies and watched where I went. I speak pigeon Spanish but never felt not safe. There are parts of America that are way more dangerous. And the presence of ICE makes it worse. I am not trying to be political, but if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time you can easily get into trouble with them. But that is true in most bad areas.
Jack, 35 years ago my husband did business in Mexico for Chrysler Corporation. He was picked up at the airport by Chrysler Mexico drivers. He was told even back then, not to leave the hotel he was staying in. A Chrysler driver would take them to a restaurant, and armed guards protected the Chrysler employees. They were told to only drink bottled beer and water. They were told to never have a drink with ice because so many times they were not safe. I'm guessing that it's a lot worse now.