Thread: Americans warned to be careful when traveling to Mexico

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexi ... rning.html

Americans warned to be careful when traveling to Mexico


By S. Lynne Walker
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

7:42 p.m. September 14, 2006

MEXICO CITY – U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza Thursday warned Americans traveling to Mexico to take extra precautions to protect themselves against an alarming rise in drug violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a strongly worded message citing the “near lawlessness of some parts of our border regions,” Garza said Americans have been killed, kidnapped and harassed as drug traffickers fight for control of lucrative corridors between Mexico and the United States.

“Violence in the U.S.-Mexico border region continues to threaten our very way of life,” Garza said. “Recently, throughout Mexico, that violence has escalated with sharp increases in murders and kidnappings of Mexican and American citizens alike.”

U.S. citizens have been injured by random shootings on major highways outside Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo and Mexico City, the U.S. Embassy said in an advisory issued Thursday along with Garza's written statement.

“Drug cartel members have been known to follow and harass U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles, particularly in border areas,” the advisory said.

Garza noted that President Vicente Fox's government has “worked closely with American law enforcement to investigate crimes and reduce violence along our border.”

“But more must be done,” he said.

The Mexican government had no immediate comment on Garza's statements.

“Drug cartels, aided by corrupt officials, reign unchecked in many towns along our common border,” Garza said. “Local law enforcement – often driven by their fear of being targeted themselves for execution – have struggled to come to grips with rising drug warfare, kidnappings, and random street violence.”

Mexican law enforcement officials and journalists have been targeted by the deadly cartels.

A police chief in the border state of Nuevo Leon was ambushed and killed on Tuesday. Earlier this year, gunmen fired assault rifles into the offices of the Nuevo Laredo newspaper El Manana, critically injuring one reporter.

Garza singled out Nuevo Laredo as an example of the escalating violence.

On Tuesday, 25 people who were going to work for a Texas-based company were kidnapped from a hotel in Nuevo Laredo and assaulted and threatened, Garza said. Last week, six youths – including an American citizen – were killed in a gang-related shootout. Two weeks ago, an hour-long gun battle took place in downtown Nuevo Laredo.

The rise in drug violence, particularly along the border, has “put a strain on travel and tourism, on the business and investment climate, and on the bilateral relationship we share,” said Garza. “The bottom line is that we simply cannot allow drug traffickers to place in jeopardy the lives of our citizens and the safety of our communities.”

http://mexico.usembassy.gov/mexico/ep06 ... isory.html

Press Releases 06
U.S. Ambassador Issues Advisory Message To Americans Regarding Increased Violence In Mexico

Antonio O. Garza: “The bottom line is that we simply cannot allow drug traffickers to place in jeopardy the lives of our citizens and the safety of our communities.”

Mexico City, September 14, 2006: “Violence in the U.S.-Mexico border region continues to threaten our very way of life, and as friends and neighbors, Mexicans and Americans must be honest about the near-lawlessness of some parts of our border region. Recently, throughout Mexico, that violence has escalated with sharp increases in murders and kidnappings of Mexican and American citizens alike. Many residents of Mexico have spoken to me of their deep concern, both for their personal safety and for the future of their communities … a concern I share.

Narco-violence has claimed 1,500 Mexican lives this year and threatened many more, according to public sources. Drug cartels, aided by corrupt officials, reign unchecked in many towns along our common border.

Two days ago in a hotel in Nuevo Laredo, armed men kidnapped 25 individuals who were going to work for a Texas-based company, assaulting and threatening to kill them, apparently mistaking them for a rival drug gang. Last week, six young men 14-19 years old, including one American citizen, were killed in a gang-related shootout. Two weeks ago, an hour-long gun battle in downtown Nuevo Laredo occurred. Americans have been killed in random shootings on major highways outside of Mexico City, Nuevo Laredo, and in the Mexican heartland. In the past two years, there have been dozens of unresolved kidnappings involving American citizens along the border, with over 20 of those cases still unresolved in Nuevo Laredo alone. Mexican law enforcement officials and journalists have been murdered or tortured.

The recent increase in these crimes is cause for alarm for any number of reasons, among them that the crimes put a strain on travel and tourism, on the business and investment climate, and on the bilateral relationship we share. Local law enforcement in Mexico—often driven by their fear of being targeted themselves for execution—have struggled to come to grips with rising drug warfare, kidnappings and random street violence, and the violence continues to undermine our bilateral efforts to have the safe cross-border exchanges, tourism and commerce that are so vital to the region’s prosperity.

The Administration of President Fox has done a great deal to ensure that the rule of law is the rule of Mexico. They have also worked closely with American law enforcement to investigate crimes and reduce violence along our border. But more must be done. Together, we can restore order and successfully take on those who are undermining our society, culture, and institutions.

Today, I issued an advisory message to American citizens describing the increased violence in Mexico and asking them to exercise caution here. Of course, the United States offers its continued cooperation in this battle against criminals in Mexico in hopes of protecting our communities and our citizens from wanton violence. I also have relayed my personal concern to President Fox and the Government of Mexico.”

Good call on the warning Mr. Garza and here is one of the many examples why it was needed. You ought to put large signs at the border entry warning people to stay out of the war zone.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexi ... mbush.html

Attack kills 3 in Tijuana restaurant

By Sandra Dibble and Anna Cearley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS
September 15, 2006

TIJUANA – Heavily armed assailants ambushed a restaurant where police were eating yesterday evening, killing one federal officer, a waitress and one other person, state authorities said.

The attack occurred about 6 p.m. in one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, Colonia Libertad, adjacent to the San Ysidro border crossing.

The victims' identities weren't immediately available, and it was unclear how many were wounded. The assailants fled the scene.

The dead officer worked for a section of the Federal Preventive Police that patrols highways, said Ernesto Álvarez, a spokesman with the state Attorney General's Office.

Witnesses told police that the assailants fired from the street at the Mi Chante restaurant, and that police inside the restaurant returned fire, said Raúl Gutierrez, another spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office.

After the attack, portions of the normally bustling neighborhood were sealed off with police tape as dozens of heavily armed officers searched the area and residents gathered around the crime scene.

The ambush comes less than two weeks after the badly beaten bodies of two state preventive officers were found in Tijuana. One was left with a police credential pinned to his head. No arrests have been made in that crime.

Organized crime groups, such as the region's dominant Arellano Félix drug group and their rivals, are typically associated with crimes such as these.

Some observers of drug trends believe more police might come under fire after a string of arrests of the Arellanos' top leaders, the most recent being the detention by U.S. authorities of suspected kingpin Francisco Javier Arellano Félix.

Police officers are targeted by organized crime here for various reasons. Those who receive money from drug groups are killed for betraying the organization or failing to meet their obligations. Sometimes there is no direct connection, and criminal groups will kill an officer as a way of intimidating others into leaving them alone.


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Sandra Dibble: (619) 293-1716; sandra.dibble@uniontrib.com