. Read thecountry information pagefor additional information on travel to Mexico. U.S. travelers are reminded that U.S. government employees must adhere to the following travel restrictions: There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees to other parts of Oaxaca state, which include tourist areas in:Oaxaca City,Monte Alban,Puerto Escondido,andHuatulco. In these areas, local law enforcement has limited capacity to respond to incidents of crime. Bystanders have been injured or killed in shooting incidents. Are you on Telegram? The U.S. Department of State recommends to visitors stay in defined tourist areas because those are considered safest, however its always important to stay vigilant about your surroundings and personal belongings. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by U.S. government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted. More violence this week forced schools and universities to cancel classes in Zacatecas state. But Aguilar said that so far authorities have not found a link between that grisly find and Fridays gun battle in Valparaiso. 6 police officers shot dead amid cartel turf war in northern Mexico The bar, called "El Venadito," is in the center of Jerez, a municipality about 36 miles southwest of the state capital city of Zacatecas. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Chiapas state, which includes tourist areas in:Palenque, San Cristobal de las Casas,andTuxtla Gutierrez. Then the bodies of the executed were dumped in city streets. Drug-related violence has killed more than 300,000 people in Mexico since 2006, when the government started deploying federal troops to fight the cartels as part of its so-called war on drugs. Zacatecas state due to crime and kidnapping. Exercise Increased Caution When Traveling To: Exercise Normal Precautions When Traveling To: Visit our website forTravel to High-Risk Areas. Those jockeying for turf in Zacatecas include the Sinaloa, Jalisco, Gulf and Northeast. That policy resulted in some high-profile scalps notably Arturo Beltrn Leyva who wasgunned down by Mexican marines in 2009 but also did little to bring peace. Violent crime and gang activity are common. Using buses, taxis and walking are preferable because of the winding streets. Tlaxcala state Exercise Increased Caution. Zacatecas: Dodging bullets in Fresnillo, Mexico's city of fear | U.S Everyday there are groups of people from all over the world that come here to relax and see this beautiful city. "I Don't Want to Disappear": How Mexico's Criminal Violence Reshapes Authorities say the gang is waging a violent campaign to take control of drug-trafficking routes. Last week Mr. Lpez Obrador announced that the guard would receive an additional $2.5 billion in funding. Zacatecas, once dominated by the old Zetas cartel, is being fought over by a dizzying number of cartels. Were living in hell, said Victor Pia, who ran for mayor of Fresnillo in the June elections and watched an aide gunned down beside him during a pre-campaign event. Zacatecas was where thousands of local slaves were forced by the Spanish to toil in the mines. Violence in Zacatecas: 10 bodies dumped in front of governor's office He said several suspects had been arrested in connection with the body dump, but refused to give more details. Zacatecas isn't the safest city in Mexico. He said the government was making an effort in Zacatecas, as well as other troubled states. Authorities said the kidnappers left road spikes in the path of oncoming police to evade pursuit. 194. Travelers should "exercise increased caution when traveling to" Coahuila, Mexico and . Of particular concern is the high number of homicides in the non-tourist areas of Tijuana. He was swept to victory. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping. Cartel Violence in Zacatecas, A Vicious Circle ~ Borderland Beat "They came to leave them here bodies, apparently beaten, with wounds," Monreal said. Just dont go to Fresnillo. In October, the authorities said they had frozen 1,352 bank accounts linked to 14 criminal groups, including powerful drug cartels. On the night her son was killed, in mid-July, four armed men stormed into her home, dragging out her son, Henry, and two friends who were sleeping over. Customers and musicians among 8 killed in nightclub shooting in Mexico Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Baja California Sur state, which includes tourist areas in:Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo,andLa Paz. On Nov. 18, authorities discovered that 10 bodies had been hung from a bridge overpass. Click here to get an offer for travel insurance. Between 2015 and 2021, the number of murders in the state increased by a staggering 400%. We had no problem in terms of crime. The death, on Saturday, September 19th, of the director of the Juan Aldama headquarters, Zacatecas , at the hands of an armed group was just the beginning of the attack that continued across the state.. Barrn Guzmn was shot at 08:30 AM, on September 19, by alleged hitmen of the . Armed groups operate independently of the government in many areas of Guerrero. Its the capital of a landlocked province. Photo: El Tiempo. Were losing the ability to be shocked.. Like other central states including Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi and Aguascalientes, Zacatecas has witnessed a grisly rise in violence. First published on January 7, 2022 / 5:11 AM. You can see here real people living real lives. Elderly Inland Empire Man Beaten To Death In Tijuana: Report These include high-traffic tourism areas of border and coastal communities, such asTijuana,Ensenada, andRosarito. David Monreal vila said in a video posted on his official Twitter account Thursday that the people thought to be responsible had been arrested, but declined to give further details because the investigation is ongoing. While most gang-related violence is targeted, violence perpetrated by criminal organizations can affect bystanders. So you can not say that not many tourists come here. Reconsider travel due to crime and kidnapping. Violent crime and gang activity are common. You should be very cautious with your belongings and avoid showing up on the streets at night. Zacatecas, the state Fresnillo is in, has the country's highest murder rate, with 122 deaths in June, according to the Mexican government. Violent crime and gang activity occur in parts of Coahuila state. The bodies of 16 people were found in two different cities in Mexicos Zacatecas state on Saturday amid a turf war between two powerful drug cartels. Ten bodies, belonging to eight men and two women, were found Thursday in a parked van near the governor's office in Zacatecas in north-central Mexico. Yucatan state Exercise Normal Precautions. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping. Exercise increased caution when visiting local bars, nightclubs, and casinos. Across Mexico, more than 300,000 people have been killed in a wave of bloodshed since the government deployed the army to fight drug cartels in 2006. Use toll roads when possible and avoid driving alone or at night. The federal Public Safety Department said a man drove the truck onto the plaza, then exited the vehicle and walked away down an alley. Durango state due to crime. Baja California state Reconsider Travel. U.S. government employees may not travel to other areas of Chihuahua, includingCopper Canyon. Some areas of Mexico have increased risk of crime and kidnapping. Ten bodies, belonging to eight men and two women, were found Thursday in a parked van near the governors office in Zacatecas in north-central Mexico. The situation is out of control.. Additionally, U.S. citizens have been the victims of both non-violent and violent crimes in tourist and non-tourist areas. Only one of them showed signs that could be consistent with acts of torture, which would need to be corroborated by a full autopsy, said the states attorney general, Francisco Jos Murillo Ruiseco, in a video posted on Facebook. Lately, it has become a national horror show, with cadavers found dangling from bridges, stuffed into plastic bags or even tied to a cross. Guadalupes oldest son was murdered in Fresnillo last month. But be sure to negotiate the price before starting a trip. U.S. government employees may not travel to other areas of Sinaloa state. Gov. Roco Muoz-Ledo (CNN Espaol) Una agresin contra la Polica Estatal Preventiva del estado mexicano de Zacatecas dej este mircoles cinco presuntos agresores muertos, inform en un . State-specific restrictions are included in the individual state advisories below. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping. Do not travel due to crime and kidnapping. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S government employees in Nayarit state, including tourist areas in: U.S. government employees may not travel to other areas of Zacatecas state. Three men were dragged out of the bar by the armed group. Additionally, a 20-year-old woman from Zacatecas has been positively identified by her family members as one of the victims. Caught in the middle of the fighting are residents like Guadalupe. There are not many tourists here, but if you travel to Zacatecas you should keep in mind: do not rent a luxury car, park only in guarded parking, do not show up on the streets with jewelry, keep your valuables in a safe place, dont walk late at night. Zacatecas Governor David Monreal vila a member of the leftist National Regeneration Movement (Morena) of Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador (AMLO) has been under intense criticism for failing to curb the violence and killings since he assumed office in September 2021. This story has been shared 395,864 times. Gunfire awakened residents, and some witnesses posted short video clips of the armed clashes on social media. Mexico has been unable to transform a justice . The incident in Zacatecas state took place late Friday into Saturday when heavily armed men, arriving at the bar in two vehicles, burst in and began shooting indiscriminately, a report from the Security Secretariat said. April 13, 2022 / 6:30 AM / CBS/AP. Zacatecas state, in the north-central region, has been plagued . Mexican authorities have found the bodies of an Ohio man's fiancee, her sister, and cousin, who were all with 36-year-old Jose Gutierrez when they disappeared after leaving a restaurant where'd they'd had dinner on December 25. Crime in Zacatecas. Safety in Zacatecas - Numbeo Zacatecas, which has one of the highest per-capita homicide rates in Mexico, is a key transit point for drugs, especially the powerful synthetic painkiller fentanyl, moving north to the U.S. border. EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) - Authorities in Zacatecas have ramped up security in two contiguous towns where eight people were gunned down during the weekend.. Without a clear mandate, it has focused more on tackling low-level crime than cartel violence. FRESNILLO, Mexico The violence was already terrifying, she said, when grenades exploded outside her church in broad daylight some five years ago. There was evidence the deaths in the remote township of Valparaiso resulted from a confrontation between gunmen from the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, she said. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Mexico State. (modern). The vehicle was parked under a Christmas tree in the state capitals main plaza, according to La Jornada Zacatecas newspaper. The surge in violence over a single weekend in Mexico brought a torrent of headlines that are increasingly familiar as powerful gangs battle for control of the country: shootouts, cars set on fire, bodies lying in the street. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Baja California Sur state Exercise Increased Caution. Zacatecas is the colonial city and that the real Mexico begins to emerge. Living with fear is no life at all.. Police Killings Spike Amid Soaring Violence in Zacatecas, Mexico When El Chapo was arrested in early 2016, Mexicos president bragged: Mission accomplished. You are about to leave travel.state.gov for an external website that is not maintained by the U.S. Department of State. See state summaries and advisory levels below for information on your specific travel destination. The U.S. State Department includes Zacatecas on its "Do not travel to" advisory for Americans due to ongoing crime and abductions. By the time Pea Nieto left office in 2018, Mexico had suffered another record year of murders, with nearly 36,000 people slain. Theres this false sense that we are moving away from a latent state of armed, violent, lethal conflict, said Falko Ernst, a Mexico security analyst at the International Crisis Group. Taxi is a safe way of getting around. Exercise increased caution due to crime and kidnapping. Violent crime and gang activity are widespread. In the latest incident, authorities said, three bodies were hung from a bridge in the province and three others from a tree. In January this year, an SUV with 10 dead bodies was dumped in front of the offices of the state governor, David Monreal vila, in the state capital, also called Zacatecas. Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador acknowledged on Friday there were security problems in the region, but said his administration was making progress in the fight against crime. Its a force that comes out of trying to mix oil and water, said Eduardo Guerrero, a Mexico City security analyst. In late November, the government announced that 3,848 national guard and army personnel were going to be stationed in Zacatecas to quell the rising violence as part of a federal plan to strengthen the states safety. In June, the bullet-ridden bodies of 18 men were found in Valparaiso in Zacatecas state, in what authorities said appeared to be the aftermath of a gun battle between the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels. Six had injuries suggesting they had their feet and hands bound. Mexican cartel hangs six bodies in Zacatecas turf war - New York Post Petty crime occurs frequently in both tourist and non-tourist areas. Were still going to come out north of 30,000 homicides that have been officially counted by any standard this year, said Ernst. We stood in a beautiful hotel with a bullring design, the Quinta Real. I retired in Zacatecas after living in Wisconsin my entire life, I love it here! January 30, 2023 / 6:20 AM It is beautiful City and much less chance being pick-pocketed in San Francisco,CA than here. Veracruz state Exercise Increased Caution. . However, as elsewhere in Mexico, you must stay updated on the news on this subject. Zacatecas Chief Prosecutor Francisco Murillo said seven of the bodies had been autopsied and all died of asphyxiation by strangulation.. His family is politically powerful. Violent crime is widespread. Although the shootings continued for several hours, no members of the National Guard were deployed to contain the armed groups. The state has taken some steps to address this crisis, but it can do much more. / CBS/AFP. With more than 26,000 murders this year, it is clear the presidents strategy of using the military to control the crime gangs has failed.