U.S. officials: Don't drive to Monterrey
REYNOSA — U.S. consular officials advise American citizens to avoid driving between Reynosa and Monterrey as a recent surge in violence and reports of impromptu checkpoints operated by drug cartel thugs further erode security across the region.
The U.S. Consulate in Monterrey issued the warning Friday in response to widespread attacks in cities across the states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon.
The advisory is directed at Americans living in Monterrey who may travel to visit Reynosa and the Rio Grande Valley, consular spokesman Brian Quigley said.
One U.S. citizen was recently carjacked along the toll highway between Reynosa and Monterrey.
“We have a duty to inform American citizens and to make them aware of what’s happening,” Quigley said. “It is still a valid message.”
For those who must to drive to Monterrey, consular officials recommend traveling during the early morning and afternoon, when fewer violent outbreaks have occurred. But any unnecessary trips should be avoided, officials said.
The violence comes as the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas — once the cartel’s band of ex-military enforcers — have reportedly been vying for control over the region in a war supported by other cartels in other regions of Mexico.
The battles have claimed dozens of lives across Tamaulipas since early February, according to Mexican authorities. The Dallas Morning News this week quoted an unnamed U.S. intelligence official as saying at least 200 people have died in the recent battles, but the report also stated no official estimate of the casualties could be obtained.
U.S. consular officials advise Americans to monitor local news carefully and avoid locales that where armed confrontations have occurred — a tricky prospect in Reynosa, where most information about the drug battles has all but dried up in recent months, perpetuating hysteria among residents on both sides of the border.
Reynosa city officials created a Twitter account that described, in Spanish, a “situation of risk” Tuesday afternoon near the Bermúdez and Petrolera neighborhoods, but state and federal officials did not confirm any violence had occurred.
The lack of official information comes amid unconfirmed reports of several journalist kidnappings, prompting action by the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based group that promotes press freedom.
“As drug trafficking, violence, and lawlessness continue to spread pervasive self-censorship is undermining Mexican democracy,” the group wrote Monday on its Web site. “We urge Mexican authorities to fully investigate the abduction of reporters in Reynosa and ensure that these crimes do not remain unpunished.”
The violence pushed U.S. consular officials to close its satellite office in Reynosa last week. The situation calmed enough for the consular office, which serves only U.S. citizens in Reynosa, to re-open on Monday.
“It’s been a calm past few days,” Quigley said. “We hope it to continue as such and for the security condition to improve.”
Widespread reports have emerged of checkpoints set up along the highway between Reynosa and Monterrey by cartel thugs who search vehicles while toting assault rifles.
A Monitor staffer returning from Monterrey on Tuesday said masked men clad in local and state police uniforms and armed with assault rifles searched his car on the outskirts of Reynosa. Authorities did not confirm whether they had checkpoints established along the route.
The street violence in February — and widespread fear of getting caught in the crossfire — drove down bridge traffic at the Hidalgo-Reynosa and Anzalduas international bridges by as much as 20 percent in late February, said George Ramon, who manages both crossings. Bridge traffic has recovered to near normal levels this month.
“I don’t think the problem is as serious as we’re led to believe it is,” said Ramon, who visited Reynosa on Tuesday.
Still, for Jorge Silva, who lives in the Valley and travels to Monterrey every week to check up on the golf pro shops he owns there, the consular advisory and recent reports of casualties have him scared when traveling in Mexico.
Last week, Silva took the bus to Monterrey because he was afraid gangsters would steal his Chevrolet pickup truck, he said. He plans to drive back to the city on Thursday, but in a compact car — a vehicle generally not favored as a target for theft by cartel hit men, who typically travel in pickup trucks and SUVs.
If Silva did not need to check on his businesses each week, he would not drive to Monterrey as often, he said.
But the recent uptick in violence seems to have provided a silver lining for Silva — business at his shops has boomed since the recent surge in violence hit about a month ago.
“People are not traveling this way so they’re dropping by my store,” he said. “We’ve been doing real good.”
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Monitor staff writer Ana Ley contributed to this report.
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Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.
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- The full text of the U.S. Consulate bulletin:
WARDEN MESSAGE - March 5, 2010 - Security Situation in Nuevo Leon
U.S. Consulate General of the United States of America
Monterrey, N.L., Mexico
March 5, 2010
WARDEN MESSAGE
The U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey wishes to inform American citizens of recent changes it has made with regard to its travel policy. Effectively immediately, we are deferring temporary, non-essential travel by U.S. government employees to destinations in the outlying parts of Nuevo Leon due to the recent deterioration of the security situation in the border region. In addition, as a precautionary measure only, we are limiting temporary, non-essential travel by U.S. government employees to the Monterrey metro area.
There have been numerous confirmed reports of deadly gun battles taking place in and around the cities of Nuevo Laredo and Reynosa in the neighboring state of Tamaulipas and in small towns of Nuevo Leon that are north and east of Monterrey. There have also been incidents where drug trafficking organizations have set up vehicle “checkpoints,” including on major highways that link Monterrey with the U.S. border. Gunfights have occurred in outlying cities in Nuevo Leon state, including municipalities such as China, Los Ramones, Cerralvo, and Anahuac. Within the Monterrey metro area, there have been recent grenade attacks on the police headquarters in San Nicolas, Apodaca, Guadalupe, Cadereyta, Escobedo, Allende and Santiago and an increase in carjackings in the city and on the highways, including an incident involving a U.S. citizen on the toll (cuota) highway to Reynosa.
U.S. citizens are urged to avoid travel by road from Monterrey to Nuevo Laredo and Reynosa due to heightened risk of violence on the roads between Monterrey and the border. As noted in the most recent Travel Alert for Mexico dated February 22, 2010, U.S. citizens are also advised to defer travel to the state of Durango and the area in Coahuila known commonly as “La Laguna,” which includes the city of Torreon. This guidance also applies to non-essential travel for official Americans to those areas. U.S. citizens choosing to travel to these areas should exercise extreme caution.
U.S. citizens are advised to take the above information into consideration when making any decisions concerning travel through Monterrey’s consular district by road. Review of recent violence suggests that although criminal acts and violence can occur unexpectedly at any time of day, trends suggest that overall it may be safer during the morning and early afternoon hours. Travelers by land should seriously consider embarking on their trips outside of these “peak” time periods when these incidents have tended to occur. Prior to making any trip, Americans should stay current with media coverage of events in the areas through which they will travel.
U.S. citizens residing in the consular district should exercise heightened personal security practices, and monitor local news carefully. Avoid areas reported in the news to be the site of armed confrontations, and remain indoors away from windows anytime gunfire is heard. Vary routes and times for travel to work and school and let family, friends or colleagues know where you are at all times. During encounters with Mexican police and military, U.S. citizens are reminded to comply with all given instructions and avoid engaging in any behavior which could be misinterpreted and heighten their risk.
U.S. citizen travelers and residents alike are encouraged to review the Department of State publication, “A Safe Trip Abroad,” which can be found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html. This publication goes into detail on personal security practices individuals may employ to make their trip or stay as safe as possible.
U.S. citizens are encouraged to refer to guidance in the Department of State’s most recent Travel Alert for Mexico located on the internet at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_4491.html and Country Specific Information for Mexico, which can be found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html for additional information regarding the current security situation in the country.
For any emergencies involving U.S. citizens in Mexico, please contact the U.S. Embassy or the closest U.S. Consulate. U.S. citizens in Monterrey’s consular district may contact the American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit at the U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey, located at 411 Avenida Constitución Poniente; telephone (81) 8047-3100; after hours emergency telephone 044 (81) 8362-9126 (from Mexico); ACS unit fax (81) 8342-5433; e-mail MonterreyACS@state.gov; web page http://monterrey.usconsulate.gov.
Stay in Touch
U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad are encouraged to register with the nearest U. S. Embassy or consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/, and to obtain updated information on travel and security. United States citizens without Internet access may register in person with the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate.
