Jan. 11 (UPI) — The U.S. State Department advised Americans not to travel to five states in Mexico due to increasing crime, the agency said in a travel advisory Wednesday.
The five states on the do not travel list are Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas.
“Violent crime, such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery, is widespread,” the advisory states. “The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of Mexico as U.S. government employees are prohibited from travel to these areas.”
In Guerrero, the State Department said armed groups that operate independently of the government “frequently maintain roadblocks and may use violence towards travelers.:
In the other four states, violent crime is listed as the main threat and U.S. government employees are given stronger travel restrictions. In Colima, they are not allowed to patronize adult clubs and gambling establishments.
The State Department has a four tier warning system for its travel advisories with 1 being to take normal precautions and 4 being a a “Do Not Travel” advisory.
The five Mexican states on the list are all currently ranked at 4. That puts them in the same tier as several of the world’s most war-torn countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Chihuahua, where dozens were killed over a two-day span last week, was given a level 3 category, which means “reconsider travel.”
Overall, the country of Mexico is categorized as a 2 — an advisory to “exercise increased caution.”
