Thread: State Department: Most Murders in Mexico Happen on Border States

State Department: Most Murders in Mexico Happen on Border States

Posted: May 1, 2012 6:18 PM
Updated: May 1, 2012 6:43 PM

WESLACO - U.S. State Department numbers show more U.S. citizens in Mexico are dying at the hands of the cartels. Officials say the country is becoming riskier for Americans.

That's not stopping Terry Johns. He makes a 109-mile journey to Progreso to save a few hundred dollars. The Corpus Christi man goes to buy his prescriptions every few months.

"It's $53 in Texas. Insurance will not pay for it," he says.

Johns tells us he knows people are scared. "I live in Corpus and people say, ‘You go to Progreso?' You'll be kidnapped and killed... People are scared to go across and it's because of all the media."

The State Department's warnings about traveling to Mexico are constant. The agency's recorded 120 Americans died in Mexico last year; 28 deaths happened in the Mexican states closest to the southwest border.

In 2007, 35 Americans died in Mexico.

"The border states are one area of concern for us at the State Department," says Hugo Rodriguez. He's the head of American Citizen Services in the Bureau of Consular Services at the State Department.

Rodriguez tells us Mexico is reporting more violence. He explains, "If (a death is) listed as homicide, it's quite possible they were killed in cartel-related violence."

He adds the victim could've been an innocent bystander. Rodriguez tells us most Americans killed are not targeted by the cartels, unless they were likely working with them.

"It's accurate to say that most of the murders took place on the border states," says Rodriguez. "There's quite a bit of transnational-related crime in the border states. It's hotly disputed territory."

But Johns says, "It's sensationalism. That's all it is."

He keeps making his trips to Mexico for his medications. He tells us he's not worried about not coming back from Mexico alive.

While looking over the State Department's numbers, CHANNEL 5 NEWS noticed the murder of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata wasn't listed. He was murdered in Mexico last February. A spokesman told us he'd find out why the murder was missing and get back to us.

State Department: Most Murders in Mexico Happen on Border States | KRGV.com | CHANNEL 5 NEWS | Breaking News Breaking Stories

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