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 News from Around the Americas | September 2006 
Drug War, Violence Lead to Mexico Travel Alert
 Fort Worth Star-Telegram
| | A group of travellers repack their baggage before entering a security checkpoint at JFK International Airport in New York. A US man was arrested after bringing a stick of dynamite onto a US-bound flight in the most serious of three security alerts to rattle the jittery air travel industry. (AFP/Stan Honda) |
Public sources suggest that narcotics-related violence has claimed 1,500 lives in Mexico this year. An escalating drug war and a sharp increase in 'brutal violence' in Mexico have prompted the United States government to issue a travel alert to Americans, particularly those going to Nuevo Laredo.
The government identified Nuevo Laredo, across the Rio Grande from Laredo in South Texas, as one of the most dangerous spots for American travelers.
'U.S. citizens residing and traveling in Mexico should exercise extreme caution when in unfamiliar areas and be aware of their surroundings at all times,' said the warning, issued by the U.S. Department of State. 'Public sources suggest that narcotics-related violence has claimed 1,500 lives in Mexico this year.'
The warning says that in recent months there have been 'execution-style murders of Mexican and U.S. citizens' throughout the country, particularly in Nuevo Laredo.
The increased violence in Nuevo Laredo and elsewhere has been fueled by a turf war between two rival drug cartels, the Gulf and the Sinaloa, a federal official said.
Asked how much the mayhem in Nuevo Laredo is affecting the U.S. side of the border, Xochitl Mora, a spokeswoman for the city of Laredo, said, 'None.'
But Elias Bazan, an agent in Laredo with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the drug-war crimes in Mexico are 'definitely' spilling over into Texas.
Unrest in Mexico, most visibly in Mexico City, has also been fueled by the contested victory of presidential candidate Felipe Calderon over leftist Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Gary Wallace, a logistics manager for Galderma Laboratories, a dermatology company in Fort Worth, recently returned from a three-day business trip to Mexico City and described it as a 'very sheltered or protected' stay.
'I was advised not to go to certain locations, and I was also advised to know who my driver was,' Wallace said.
Local travel agents are paying attention to the developments in Mexico.
Raney Naughton, a corporate travel agent with Wyndham Jade Travel in Fort Worth, said she is telling clients to be extremely watchful of their surroundings. And Shannon Chandarlis, a travel agent with Vacation Connection in North Richland Hills, said she routinely tells customers to stay away from Mexican border towns.
In its alert, issued late last week, the State Department said that dozens of U.S. citizens have been kidnapped in Nuevo Laredo, and that more than two dozen cases were still 'unresolved.'
'U.S. citizens have also been victims of random shootings on major highways outside Mexico City, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana and other areas throughout Mexico,' the warning said.
Travel tips
Travelers to Mexico are being warned to take precautions because of a sharp rise in violence. The U.S. government recommends that Americans:
Travel only during the day.
Stay on main roads, especially the toll -- or cuota -- roads.
Stay in well-known tourist destinations or in cities known for 'more adequate security.'
Provide an itinerary to a friend or family member who is not along for the trip.
For the latest security information, go to the State Department's travel Web site at travel.state.gov.
Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling toll free 888-407-4747 in the United States, or, for callers in Mexico, a regular toll line at 001-202-501-4444.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of State
Derbez criticizes statements
El Universal
Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez criticized recent statements by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza on Monday, saying his comments on Mexico´s security situation were "contradictory" and "unfortunate."
In a radio interview from New York, Derbez said he felt Garza´s positions "are not well thought out and make a lot of noise in our country."
Last Thursday, the U.S. Embassy issued a travel advisory warning of "brutal violence" in Mexico following a series of bloody incidents including beheadings and the slaying of police officials. Such killings have risen in recent weeks, especially in the western state of Michoacán, with the toll of organized crime-related deaths at over 1,500 so far this year.
On Sunday, Garza issued another statement congratulating President Vicente Fox´s administration for its close cooperation with Washington on fighting drug traffickers, highlighting Mexico´s increased willingness to extradite suspected smugglers to the United States. Francisco Rafael Arellano Félix, an alleged leader with the Tijuana Cartel, was sent to the United States on Saturday to face drug trafficking charges after serving 10 years on illegal weapons charges in Mexico.
Derbez said that Garza´s second statement "contradicts with the first a bit." He added that the Fox administration had worked "firmly" with the United States on issues such as border security and going after drug traffickers.
"It has been a lot of work on some occasions for us to convince U.S. officials that looking after the border is a shared responsibility and that exchanging accusations won´t lead to anything positive," Derbez said.
Garza has defended the statements in the past by saying it is his duty as ambassador to warn U.S. citizens of potential dangers in Mexico, citing unsolved kidnappings of U.S. citizens and violent incidents against Americans.
Mexican officials have countered that their country is safe for visitors and that the warnings are exaggerated.
BACK AND FORTH
The U.S. and Mexican governments have gone back and forth over security issues on several occasions. Last January, video footage showed men dressed as Mexican soldiers crossing into the U.S. with marijuana-loaded trucks, sparking a diplomatic row over whether the Mexican military is involved in smuggling.
In January of 2005, the administration also reacted defensively to statements from Garza over rising levels of drug violence that led the United States to briefly shut down its consulate in Nuevo Laredo. |
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