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The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens about the risk of traveling in Mexico due to threats to safety and security posed by Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) in the country.  U.S. citizens have been the target of violent crimes, such as kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery by TCOs in various Mexican states. For information on security conditions in specific regions of Mexico, which can vary, travelers should reference the state-by-state assessments further below.
This Travel Warning safe for americans to travel to cuba replaces the Travel Warning for Mexico, issued July 12, 2013, to update information about the security situation and to advise the public of additional restrictions on the travel safe for americans to travel to cuba of U.S. government (USG) personnel.
Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico safe for americans to travel to cuba each year for study, tourism, and business, including more than 150,000 who cross the border safe for americans to travel to cuba every day. The Mexican government dedicates substantial resources to protect visitors to major tourist destinations, and there is no evidence that Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) have targeted U.S. visitors or residents safe for americans to travel to cuba based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes.
Nevertheless, U.S. travelers should be aware that the Mexican government has been engaged in an extensive effort to counter TCOs which engage safe for americans to travel to cuba in narcotics trafficking and other unlawful activities throughout Mexico. The TCOs themselves are engaged in a violent struggle to control drug trafficking routes and other criminal activity. Crime and violence are serious problems and can occur anywhere. U.S. citizens safe for americans to travel to cuba have fallen victim to criminal safe for americans to travel to cuba activity, including homicide, gun battles, kidnapping, carjacking and highway robbery. While most of those killed in narcotics-related violence have been members of TCOs, innocent persons have also been killed. safe for americans to travel to cuba The number of U.S. citizens reported to the Department of State as murdered in Mexico was 71 in 2012 and 81 in 2013.
Gun battles between rival TCOs or with Mexican authorities have taken place in towns and cities in many parts of Mexico, especially in the border region. Gun battles have occurred in broad daylight on streets and in other public venues, such as restaurants and clubs. During some of these incidents, U.S. citizens have been trapped and temporarily safe for americans to travel to cuba prevented from leaving the area. TCOs have used stolen cars, buses and trucks to create roadblocks on major thoroughfares, preventing the military and police from responding to criminal activity. The location and timing of future armed engagements is unpredictable. We recommend that you defer travel safe for americans to travel to cuba to the areas indicated in this Travel Warning and exercise extreme caution when traveling throughout the northern border region.
The number of kidnappings throughout Mexico is of particular concern and appears to be on the rise. According to statistics published by the Mexican Secretaria de Gobernacion (SEGOB), during the first 11 months of 2013 kidnappings nationwide increased 32 percent over the same period in 2012. While kidnappings can occur anywhere, according to SEGOB during this timeframe, the states with the highest numbers of kidnappings were Guerrero, Tamaulipas, safe for americans to travel to cuba Michoacán, Estado de Mexico, and Morelos. Additionally, according to a widely publicized study by the agency responsible for national statistics safe for americans to travel to cuba (INEGI, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography), Mexico suffered an estimated 105,682 kidnappings in 2012; only 1,317 were reported to the police. Police have been implicated in some of these incidents. Both local and expatriate communities have been victimized. Almost 90 kidnappings of U.S. citizens were reported to the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Mexico between April and November of 2013.
U.S. citizens are encouraged to lower their personal profiles and to avoid wearing conspicuous jewelry or clothing bearing logos of U.S. sports teams or military safe for americans to travel to cuba themed apparel which that may identify them as U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens are encouraged to maintain awareness of their surroundings and avoid situations in which they may be isolated.
Kidnappings in Mexico have included traditional, express and virtual kidnappings. Victims of traditional kidnappings are physically abducted and held captive until a ransom is paid for release. Express kidnappings are those in which a victim is abducted for a short time and forced to withdraw money, usually from an ATM, then released. A virtual safe for americans to travel to cuba kidnapping is an extortion by deception scheme safe for americans to travel to cuba wherein a victim is contacted by phone and convinced to isolate themselves from family and friends until a ransom is paid. The victim is coerced (by threat of violence) to remain isolated and to provide phone numbers for the victim s family or loved ones. The victim s family is then contacted and a ransom for the kidnapped extracted.  Recently, some travelers to Mexico staying at hotels safe for americans to travel to cuba as guests have been targets of such virtual kidnapping schemes.
Carjacking and highway robbery are serious problems in many parts of the border region, and U.S. citizens have been murdered in such incidents. Most victims who complied with carjackers safe for americans to travel to cuba demands safe for americans to travel to cuba have reported that they were not physically harmed. Carjackers have shot at vehicles that have attempted to flee. Incidents have occurred safe for americans to travel to cuba during the day and at night, and carjackers have used a variety of techniques, including roadblocks, bumping/moving vehicles to force them to stop, and running vehicles off the road at high speeds. There are indications that criminals target newer and larger vehicles, especially dark-colored SUVs. However, even drivers of old sedans and buses coming from the United States have been targeted. While violent safe for americans to travel to cuba incidents can occur anywhere and at any time, they most frequently occur at night and on isolated roads. To reduce risk when traveling by road, we strongly safe for americans to travel to cuba urge you to travel between cities throughout Mexico only during daylight hours, to avoid isolated safe for americans to travel to cuba roads, and to use toll roads ( cuotas ) whenever possible.
The Mexican government has deployed federal police safe for americans to travel to cuba and military personnel throughout the country safe for americans to travel to cuba as part of its efforts to combat the TCOs. U.S. citizens traveling safe for americans to travel to cuba on Mexican roads and highways by car or bus may encounter government checkpoints, staffed by military or law enforcement personnel. TCOs have erected their own unauthorized checkpoints, at times wearing police and military uniforms, and killed or abducted safe for americans to travel to cuba motorists who have failed to stop at them. You should cooperate at all checkpoints.
The Department imposes restrictions on U.S. government employees travel in Mexico.  Since July 2010, USG employees are prohibited from driving on non-official travel from the U.S.-Mexico border to or from the interior of Mexico or Central America. One exception is that personal travel by motor vehicle is permitted on Highway 15 toll road between Hermosillo and Nogales during daylight hours.
USG personnel and their families are prohibited from personal travel to all areas to which it is advised to defer non-essential travel . When travel for official purposes is essential, it is conducted with extensive security precautions. USG personnel and their families are allowed to travel for personal reasons to the areas where no advisory is in effect or where the advisory is to exercise caution. While the general public is not forbidden from visiting places categorized under defer non-essential travel, USG personnel will not be able to respond quickly to an emergency situation in those areas due to security precautions that must be taken by USG personnel to travel to those areas.
Below is a state-by-state assessment of security conditions throughout Mexico.  Travelers safe for americans to travel to cuba should be mindful that even if no advisories are in effect for a given state, crime and violence can occur anywhere. For general information about travel and other conditions in Mexico, see our Country Specific Information.
Aguascalientes: You should exercise caution when traveling to the areas of the state that border the state of Zacatecas, as TCO activity in that region continues. There is no advisory in effect for daytime travel to the areas of the state that do not border Zacatecas; however, intercity travel at night is not recommended.
Baja California: Tijuana, Ensenada and Mexicali are major cities/travel safe for americans to travel to cuba destinations in the state of Baja California Exercise caution in the northern state of Baja California, safe for americans to travel to cuba particularly at night. There were 458 homicides in Tijuana from October 2012 through September 2013, compared with 324 for the same period a year earlier. Murders in Mexicali declined in the same period from 166 to 132. In the majority of these cases, the killings appeared to be targeted TCO assassinations. Turf battles between criminal groups resulted in assassinations in areas of Tijuana and Mexicali frequented by U.S. citizens. Shooting incidents, in which innocent bystanders have been injured, have occurred during daylight hours.
Chihuahua: Ciudad safe for americans to travel to cuba Juarez, Chihuahua City, and Copper Canyon are major cities/travel destinations in Chihuahua Exercise caution in traveling to the business and shopping safe for americans to travel to cuba districts in the northeast section of Ciudad Juarez and its major industrial parks, and the central downtown section and major industrial parks in Chihuahua City. U.S. citizens should defer non-essential travel to other areas of these cities and anywhere else in the state of Chihuahua and travel during daylight hours between cities. In Ciudad Juarez, personal travel by USG employees outside the north/central and northeast portion of the city near the Consulate safe for americans to travel to cuba General is restricted and private U.S. citizens should defer non-essential travel to