The US State Department has reiterated its “no travel” warning for parts of Mexico as Americans plan their upcoming spring break.
“The safety of US citizens abroad is one of the Department’s top priorities, and we provide US citizens with relevant information so they can make well-informed decisions before they travel,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. , noting that the last notice was issued on October 5, 2022.
But the department, which reviews travel advisories “regularly,” said it had “no changes to the Mexico Travel Advisory to announce or anticipate.”
Mexico ranks as the top international destination for Americans traveling for spring break, with three different locations in Mexico ranked in the top 10, according to an Allianz Partners survey of about 1.8 million flight itineraries.
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News Nation Now reported that more than 30 million Americans traveled to Mexico during the first 11 months of 2022 alone.
Tourists walk on a beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Brett Gundlock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The State Department is currently evaluating six Mexican states that have Level 4 travel advisory concerns, meaning those areas with the “highest likelihood of life-threatening risks”: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas, all due to the risk of high crime and almost all with high risk of kidnapping.
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“Violent crime and gang activity is widespread,” the department’s warning said about one area. “Most of the homicides are targeted killings against members of criminal organizations.”
CANCUN, MEXICO – MARCH 8: DJ Irie performs during spring break at The Grand Oasis Cancun on March 8, 2022, in Cancun, Mexico. (Thaddaeus McAdams/Getty Images)
“Shooting incidents between criminal groups have injured or killed bystanders,” he continued. “US Citizens and LPRs Have Been Victims of Kidnapping”.
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Seven other states pose a Level 3 travel risk, primarily due to high crime risk, but some areas are at risk for kidnapping, including Baja California, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, and Sonora.
CANCUN, MEXICO – MAR 14: Guests attend Victoria’s Secret PINK Nation Hosts Spring Break Bash on March 14, 2017 in Cancun, Mexico. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria’s Secret Pink)
Only two of Mexico’s 32 states, Campeche and Yucatán, currently have the lowest level of precaution, the “normal precautions” designation.
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The areas of greatest concern are on the coast and border areas. The department lists homicide, kidnapping, vehicle theft and robbery as “widespread and common in Mexico.”
People walk on the beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Brett Gundlock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The US government has a limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by US government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted. ”, read the most recent travel advisory from Mexico. “In many states, local emergency services are limited outside of the state capital or major cities.”
Mexican officials have urged the US State Department to reconsider its intensified warnings in November of last year.
Guests gather in a hotel lobby after a shooting at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun resort, in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico, November 4, 2021, in this still image obtained from social media video. (Mike Sington/Handout via Reuters)
Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism said it urged the United States to adjust its travel advisories for several Mexican states to “detail areas that could present problems and not generalize, since some isolated cases of insecurity are many kilometers from tourist destinations. “.
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The press release suggested that the United States is open to modifying the guidance, citing Angela Kerwin, secretary for consular affairs at the US Department of State, who said during a meeting that “timely information is the key to boosting US tourism.” the neighboring nation to Mexico, and in this way, tourists and residents in the United States know in a timely manner the condition of the destination they visit or where they reside”.
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
