For those who plan trips abroad by researching the safety of and problems that could arise in a given country, the U.S. State Department has a four-tier ranking system that it periodically updates both as the security situation shifts and for political reasons.
Level One’s “exercise normal precautions” means that a given country is just as or, in certain cases, even safer to be in than at home while the fourth “do not travel” level is typically assigned to countries that have authoritarian governments, active war zones or no diplomatic relationship with the United States — countries under Level Four include North Korea, Russia, Syria and Iran.
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Problem in popular vacation spot is becoming ‘increasingly frequent’
Due to its proximity to the southern U.S. border, Mexico is an extremely popular and, for the most part, very safe country for Americans to visit — the country has for years been under Level Two’s “exercise increased caution” also assigned to countries such as France, Germany and, most recently, China which was lowered from “reconsider travel” last November.
But while over 1.5 million Americans visited Mexico without issue in 2024, the country does have regions that have higher crime rates and are generally considered to be less safe than others.
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This week, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City sent out a warning against travel to the Reynosa, Rio Bravo, Valle Hermoso and San Fernando towns in the Tamaulipas region.
The northern state sits alongside the U.S. border and, according to the embassy, has been seeing “increasingly frequent gun battles” and kidnapping of both locals and American citizens by drug-smuggling gangs operating near the U.S. border.
Advice to travelers: Stay on main roads, travel during daylight hours
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“The U.S. Consulate is aware of increasingly frequent gun battles occurring in and around Reynosa in the late night and early morning hours,” the travel advisory sent out on Jan. 27 reads. “Separately, the state of Tamaulipas has issued a warning to avoid moving or touching improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have been found in and around the area of Reynosa, Rio Bravo, Valle Hermoso, and San Fernando along dirt and secondary roads. IEDs are being increasingly manufactured and used by criminal organizations in this region.”
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For those who are either visiting or passing through the region on the way to more touristic destinations, the official advice is to avoid going off the main road and not touch any unidentified objects found by the side as explained above.
The standard advice given out with similar advisories is also to remain of one’s surroundings and notify friends and family of one’s itinerary and location so that they can notify authorities if they lose contact with the traveler.
While at level two overall, Mexico is a country where the rating will vary greatly from state to state. Other states under the “do not travel” advisory include Michoacan, Sinaloa and Guerrero while Quintana Roo (home to the popular resort town of Cancun) is under “exercised increased caution” and Campeche and Yucatan are under “take normal precautions.”
The rating is assigned and updated based on average crime rates which are characteristically lowest in resort towns with heavy security.
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