The U.S. State Department on Friday raised the travel warnings to two states in Mexico while downgrading four other Mexican destinations.
The U.S. raised its warnings from Level 2 (“Exercise Increased caution” to Level 3 (“Reconsider travel”) for Baja California and Guanajuato. Baja California, in particular, is a heavy tourist destination that includes Tijuana, Mexicali and Ensenada.
The updated travel advisory cited crime and kidnapping as dangers in Baja California, according to the Mexico Daily News.
“Violent crime and gang activity are common. Of particular concern is the high number of homicides in the non-tourist areas of Tijuana. Most homicides appeared to be targeted; however, criminal organization assassinations and territorial disputes can result in bystanders being injured or killed. U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) have been victims of kidnapping,” the State Department said.
The advisory warns citizens to reconsider travel to Guanajuato — currently Mexico’s most violent state and home to popular expatriate and tourism destinations such as Guanajuato city and San Miguel de Allende — due to crime.
“Gang violence, often associated with the theft of petroleum and natural gas from the state oil company and other suppliers, occurs in Guanajuato, primarily in the south and central areas of the state. Of particular concern is the high number of murders in the southern region of the state associated with cartel-related violence,” the State Department said.
The new travel advisory downgrades the alerts for Nuevo León and San Luis Potosí from Level 3 to Level 2 and reduces those for Campeche and Yucatán from Level 2 to Level 1, or “Exercise normal precautions.”
The latest advisory continues to warn U.S. citizens not to travel to five Level 4 states — Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas — due to crime and kidnapping.