Mexico’s kidnapping battle tested in farm town

Planning on going to Mexico for vacation? Better think again! I haven't been to Mexico in about 4 years and don't plan on going back anytime soon with all the kidnapping around town.. What do you guys think of Mexico? It's a beautiful country but to risky at this point! Would you travel there for vacation if you had the chance?

Mexico Kidnappings

The worlds going to hell in a hand basket, I wouldn't go to Mexico on a bet! on the same note I saw the pyramid's in Egypt back in the 80" (US Navy)and felt really safe back then, but I wouldn't go now if the trip was given to me!

Don't think so

Security varies from region to region but Its actually got much better overall. Juarez (accross from El Paso, TX) is probably the worst of the worst but even its improved from 5 years ago when the State Department flat out told Americans NOT to go there. Tijuana is kinda the same. I'm sure we have posters who live near these boarders who can elaborate more.

The tourist destinations like Cancun and Cabo are every bit as safe as Miami. I'm thinking about Cabo for the fall.

Just in time to answer the curious readers', if any, concerns, if any, about travel in the United Mexican States, the US Bureau of Consular Affairs has published the latest Mexico Travel Warning, dated 9 February 2014.

Excerpts:
"The number of U.S. citizens reported to the Department of State as murdered in Mexico was 71 in 2012 and 81 in 2013."
"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 themed apparel which that may identify them as U.S. citizens."
"To reduce risk when traveling by road, we strongly urge you to travel between cities throughout Mexico only during daylight hours, to avoid isolated roads, and to use toll roads ('cuotas') whenever possible."

In other words, the cautious American traveler should conduct himself as though he were in, say, . . . Detroit.

The keywords in the Mexico travel warning is "defer non-essential travel" to specific areas. US citizens are warned to avoid these areas.
In fact, "US Government personnel and their families are prohibited from personal travel to all areas [so designated]. When travel for official purposes is essential, it is conducted with extensive security precautions."

Tourists are advised to exercise caution in the touristy areas of Ciudad Juarez and avoid the rest of the City.

Mexico City, Cancun,Cozumel, et al, all of Baja California, and most tourist areas elsewhere are usually OK.

Otherwise DonDiego recommends the traveler consult the document.

Wow, 81 Americans murdered in Mexico in 2013. Out of just 6 million American tourists a year, not to mention all the Americans who visited for non-tourist reasons.



Never stop being ignorant and afraid, Americans, it helps with the control.

We have a place in and regularly travel to Cabo San Lucas. It should be noted that Cabo and even all of Baja California Sur is closer to being a part of the USA than Mexico. Cabo seems to have a larger American and Canadian ex-pat population than Mexican. Not that there is no crime there but no more than any major US city.

Tijuana is just big, crowded and dirty. When there is a good swell running I drive through Tijuana to a popular surf break called K38. It is halfway between Tijuana and Ensenada. I always stop at different restaurants along the way and have never encountered any problems.
I also drive back to SoCal from Ensenada ( about 70 miles south of the border) after the annual Newport to Ensenada sailboat race.

But again this is Baja. Much different from mainland Mexico.

I have a good friend who is originally from Mexico city and has a very high profile niece and twin nephews who were living in Mexico city after a royal divorce. My friend would not go to Mexico to stay and watch over his grand niece and nephew for fear of kidnappings "on his watch".
He is going to Mexico city this spring for a family wedding and has hired a private security firm to plan and travel with him.

Hmm, . . . DonDiego actually posted some facts from the US Bureau of Consular Affairs to allay the fears of those contemplating a trip South of the Border.

Here's another fact from Forbes:
"The [Mexico City] Minister of Tourism Miguel Torruco, told me that the city, a world-class metropolis known for its history, culture, cuisine and crafts, has a murder rate of 22 per 100,000 people, which is comparable to Philadelphia’s 21.5 per 100,000 and far below Detroit’s 54.58 per 100,000.

DonDiego says: "Disfrute de México !" and "Ser conscientes de Detroit."

Ah, the old all murders are the same fallacy. I can't believe you fell for that.

If all 22 of them murders per 100,000 people are gringos like me then I'm staying the hell out of Torruco. Whereas, if 54 of the murders per 100,000 people in Detroit are all gang bangers then, what the hell, holiday in Detroit. It's tough, kid, but it's life.

Detroit Crime Dropped In 2013, But City Had Same Number Of Murders As New York . Detroit had 333 murders murders , and if New York had them in the same ratio , they would have had 3,950 murders .
And another fun filled report :

The Mexican government reported that there were 31,532 homicides in the country between January and November of 2013 including 16,736 labeled as “intentional” murder and 14,796 as “negligent” manslaughter. Those figures along with other national crime statistics were released by the Mexican government’s Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP) on Dec. 17.

On Dec. 17, Mexico’s Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP) updated the country’s national crime statistics thru November 2013.

According to Molly Molloy, a border expert at the New Mexico State University Library who tracks drug war-related violence in Mexico, Mexico is deadlier than Iraq.

“Many more people (in raw numbers) die violently in Mexico than in Iraq. And when population is taken into account, Mexico’s homicide death toll still exceeds that of Iraq—a country barely emerging from foreign invasions and civil war,” Molloy told Breitbart News via email.

“Iraq has about 35 million people, while Mexico’s population approaches 118 million,” she continued. “Recent reports from the United Nations and other international organizations indicate that violent deaths in Iraq this year have surpassed 8,000.”

Bob