Is Mexico Safe Right Now? Travel Warning Issued After Cartel Leader’s Death

Mexico has seen a wave of violence since the killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes El Mencho by the military. People in the country have faced unrest, fires, and fights even in regions usually considered safe. The cities of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, two major tourist attractions, have been severely impacted by the violence.

Since the spring season is around the corner, many travel enthusiasts may have already booked trips to Mexico. Others need to travel to the country for business or personal reasons. But is it safe to visit Mexico now, considering the recent unrest?

The US government currently has a Level 2 travel advisory for the neighboring country. This means tourists need to exercise increased caution and be vigilant at all times. The government had earlier issued a shelter-in-place warning for US citizens, which has now been lifted.

Things are slowly returning to normal in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. While flights were initially disrupted, airports are now operating again. However, experts have warned that it still may not be safe to travel to certain parts of Mexico.

A Level 4 advisory, i.e., Do Not Travel, remains in place for the states Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. Former Pentagon officer and safety expert Kent Webber discussed the risks of travel to Mexico in an interview with The New York Times.

He said, “Although the situation will likely stabilize in the coming days, this marks a new phase in cartel reactions to high-level enforcement actions. No travel to Mexico is ever risk-free.” Though cartels do not typically target tourists, experts have advised it exercising caution while visiting the country.

“They [tourists] are not targeted. [But] you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that’s not something that’s good – particularly now,” researcher Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera said in a statement to USA Today.

Hotels are relatively safe, as Correa-Cabrera added, “For the most part, the actual resort areas and hotels have been relatively spared from the impact. If you look at Cancun, the roadblocks ... they’re kind of outside the city limits to try and just make it difficult for police to operate there and as a distraction.”

Mexico city, the capital, remains almost unaffected by the violence in the rest of the country, so it is safer to travel there. “And as far as folks traveling to Mexico City, obviously, it’s a significant destination for business people. Right now, we don’t think there’s any significant risk of impact there. It’s not typically a city that gets caught up in this kind of stuff when it happens,” Correa-Cabrera said.

Travelers visiting Mexico in the next few days, make sure to check the State Department’s travel advisory page regularly. Contact hotels and resorts beforehand and ask about the security measures.

It is also advisable to avoid driving between cities at night. Only use authorized taxi services and stick to major toll highways. US citizens should enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive real-time security alerts from the embassy.