Avoid These States: Unsafe Travel Destinations

do not travel states

The U.S. State Department has issued a do not travel advisory for several Mexican states, including Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacán, and Guerrero. This advisory, the most severe warning issued by the department, is due to widespread and common violent crimes such as homicide, kidnapping, and robbery. The advisory also notes the limited ability of the U.S. government to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in these areas due to travel restrictions for government employees. Only two Mexican states, Campeche and Yucatan, are under the lowest exercise normal caution advisory.

Characteristics Values
Number of states 6
Reason Widespread and common violent crimes such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery
States Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacán, and Guerrero

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Colima state due to crime and kidnapping

Colima is one of Mexico's smallest yet deadliest states. Colima has a population of less than one million and has topped Mexico's murder per capita list every year since 2016. In 2019, the state had a rate of 97 homicides per 100,000 residents. Colima is also one of five states that accounted for more than 50% of the clandestine mass graves exhumed during the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

The coastal state was once considered one of Mexico's safest and most desirable vacation spots. However, its murder rate has tripled since 2015. This rise in violence has been accompanied by a series of brazen and public murders of high-profile political and social leaders in Colima. For example, in June 2020, a Colima federal judge, Uriel Villegas Ortiz, and his wife, Verónica Barajas, were killed by hitmen who fired more than twenty shots. Two weeks before that, the body of Colima congresswoman Anel Bueno was discovered in an unmarked grave. She had been abducted by a group of armed men in broad daylight.

The key to understanding the violence in Colima is its location along invaluable drug trafficking routes. Manzanillo, the state's largest town and main port, serves as an arrival point for chemical precursors from Asia and a transit point for drugs being moved towards the United States and Europe. Some of the largest cocaine seizures in Mexican history have taken place in this Pacific port city.

The violence in Colima is also attributed to a fragmented criminal scene that has collided with political instability. Colima has swung for a different political party in the last three presidential elections and has had eight governors in the last twenty years.

Due to the high levels of violent crime and gang activity in Colima, the U.S. State Department has issued a "do not travel" advisory for the state, specifically citing crime and kidnapping as reasons for the advisory.

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Guerrero state due to crime

The US State Department has issued a "do not travel" advisory for Guerrero state in Mexico due to crime. This is the most severe warning issued by the department.

In Guerrero, armed groups operate independently of the government in many areas, and frequently set up roadblocks. These groups are known to use violence towards travellers. US citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping in previous years.

US government employees are prohibited from travelling to any area in the state of Guerrero, including tourist areas like Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, Taxco, and Ixtapa.

The State Department recommends that travellers to Mexico keep their travel companions and family informed of their plans, and send a GPS location if they become separated from their group. If taking a taxi alone, it is advised to take a photo of the taxi number and license plate and send it to a friend.

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Michoacan state due to crime

The Mexican state of Michoacan has been placed under a "do not travel" advisory by the U.S. State Department due to crime and kidnapping. The advisory is the most severe warning issued by the department, and it is in place due to the prevalence of violent crimes such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery in the state.

Michoacan has a long history of criminal activity and violence, with several criminal organizations, including Los Zetas, the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO), The Knights Templar, and La Familia Michoacana, having operated in the state. The complex web of relationships between these armed criminal groups, business interests, and local political leaders contributes to the security problems in the state.

In recent years, Michoacan has been affected by a wave of violent attacks by organized crime groups, with over 10,000 murders recorded during the presidency of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, which began in December 2018. Cartel gunmen have employed drones to launch bomb attacks and have even buried land mines along roadways in rural areas. The state has also seen an increase in extortion and forced displacement of civilians as a result of turf wars between criminal groups.

The state's geographic conditions, including its remote valleys and mountain ranges, make it an ideal location for importing, producing, and trafficking illegal narcotics. The diversification of the drug market and changes in drug demand have made Michoacan ports perfect entry points for methamphetamine, synthetic opioids, and precursor chemicals, all smuggled from China. The state's avocado industry, which earned $3.1 billion in export revenue in 2022, has also become a lucrative target for extortion schemes.

The Mexican government's efforts to combat the security issues in Michoacan have been criticized as ineffective, with the National Guard's deployment to the region failing to improve the situation. The complex dynamics of the state, including the involvement of local political leaders and the diversification of criminal enterprises, present significant challenges to improving security in Michoacan.

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Sinaloa state due to crime

Sinaloa is a state in Mexico. The U.S. Department of State has issued a "do not travel" advisory for the state due to crime. Violent crime is widespread in the state, with criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, operating in the region. The Sinaloa Cartel is a large, transnational organized crime syndicate based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico, that specializes in illegal drug trafficking and money laundering. The cartel has a significant impact on international and local politics, as well as popular culture.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Sinaloa, as travel by U.S. government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted. Violent crime, such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery, is widespread and common in Mexico. In many states, local emergency services are limited outside the state capital or major cities.

The Sinaloa Cartel, also known as the Guzmán-Zambada Organization, the Federation, the Blood Alliance, or the Pacific Cartel, was founded in the late 1960s by Pedro Avilés Pérez in Sinaloa. The cartel initially focused on smuggling marijuana into the United States but has since diversified its drug portfolio to include cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin. The United States Intelligence Community considers the cartel to be the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world.

The cartel has a history of brutal conflicts with rival cartels and the Mexican government, and has employed sophisticated smuggling techniques, including tunnels under the U.S.-Mexico border. It has operations in many world regions, including the United States, Latin America, and as far as the Philippines. Despite the arrest of key leaders, the cartel remains a significant player in international drug trafficking, driven by the demand for narcotics in the U.S. and around the world.

The state of Sinaloa is split territorially between the Mayo Zambada and Los Chapitos factions of the cartel. The municipalities of El Fuerte, Badiraguato, Mocorito, Angostura, Navolato, Concordia, Rosario, Escuinapa, and half of Culiacán are controlled by Los Chapitos, while San Ignacio, Elota, and the other half of the Culiacán municipality are reportedly controlled by Mayo. The municipalities of Cosala and Mazatlán are said to have more than one group controlling the territory.

The Sinaloa Cartel has been associated with several acts of violence, including the murder of journalist Lourdes Maldonado in 2022 and the killing of two men outside the Cereso 3 prison in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in 2022. In 2019, a leader of the cartel's drug trafficking activities, Juan Ulises Galván Carmona, was killed in a convenience store in Chetumal, the capital of Quintana Roo state along Mexico's Caribbean coast.

The cartel has also been accused of infiltrating and corrupting various levels of the Mexican government, with allegations of collusion between cartel members and politicians, law enforcement officials, and even elements of the military. Political corruption and the influence of drug cartels have been significant challenges for Mexico, affecting the credibility of its institutions.

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Tamaulipas state due to crime and kidnapping

Tamaulipas is a Mexican border state with a severe "do not travel" advisory due to rampant crime and kidnapping. The state is under the heavy influence of violent organised crime groups, and the power struggle between these groups makes Tamaulipas particularly dangerous. No single criminal organisation has a monopoly, so they violently contest control over sources of illicit wealth and local institutions.

Criminal groups in Tamaulipas make millions of dollars annually from cross-border drug trafficking, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling. They also systematically kidnap migrants, inflicting physical and psychological harm, and demanding exorbitant ransoms from their families. The groups control all means of transportation, including buses, taxis, rideshare apps, and airports. In Nuevo Laredo, kidnappings are so common that they are informally known as "passing through the office".

Tamaulipas is one of the top states for disappearances in Mexico, and it is especially dangerous for migrants and asylum seekers. In August 2010, 72 migrants were massacred by criminal groups in San Fernando, and since then, dozens of clandestine graves believed to contain the remains of migrants have been found.

The state also has a high rate of violent crime, including homicide, carjacking, and robbery. Criminal groups target public and private passenger vehicles, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments. Heavily armed members of these groups often patrol areas of the state with impunity, particularly along the border region from Reynosa to Nuevo Laredo. Local law enforcement has a limited capacity to respond to incidents of crime.

U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) have been victims of kidnapping in Tamaulipas. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of the state, as travel by U.S. government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted.

Frequently asked questions

As of January 2023, six Mexican states are under the "do not travel" advisory: Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacán, and Guerrero.

These states are under the advisory due to safety concerns, including kidnappings and other crimes.

Campeche and Yucatan are the only two states under the lowest "exercise normal caution" advisory.

Colima is the most dangerous state in Mexico due to crime and kidnapping.

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