Travel Alert Updated for Mexico

The US Department of State has updated its travel alert for Mexico. (Remember: a travel alert is less, well, alarming than a travel advisory but nonetheless covers short-term dangers that “pose imminent risks to the security of U.S. citizens.”)

The updated travel alert specifically mentions several Mexican cities near the Texas border: Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, and Matamoros.

According to the alert:

Recent Mexican army and police force conflicts with heavily-armed narcotics cartels have escalated to levels equivalent to military small-unit combat and have included use of machine guns and fragmentation grenades. Confrontations have taken place in numerous towns and cities in northern Mexico, including Tijuana in the Mexican state of Baja California, and Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez in the state of Chihuahua. The situation in northern Mexico remains very fluid; the location and timing of future armed engagements there cannot be predicted.

The alert goes on to warn:

Criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles, particularly in border areas including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, and Tijuana. There is no evidence, however, that U.S. citizens are targeted because of their nationality.