Anyone hear about U.S. having issues with Mexico?

starchild · December 19, 2008

I really think it matters where in Mexico you are and then if something bad is meant to happen to you, i.e. luck or fate. There is violence all over the world and in the cities we all live in, so I wouldn't be put off by Mexico in general.

However, there is a huge drug war going on in parts of northern Baja. Maybe that's what your mom was referring to? I think it was last year that the TJ police had their weapons taken away while the army stepped in because they were so corrupt. Around that time my Mexican friends were saying to stay out of that area because they were killing Americans at will because the FBI captured one of the major criminals there and they were mad at the US.

These days I think it's more a matter of being caught in the drug war cross fire rather than being a target as a tourist. TJ had 37 murders in 3 days a few weeks back, over 200 in the month of November I believe, etc. My brother has a house between Rosarito & Ensenada where a lot of insane stuff is going on right now (Mystery man blamed for gruesome Tijuana deaths - Los Angeles Times) but he drives there a few times a month without incident...so who knows. I wouldn't plan a TJ wedding anytime soon but I don't think anyone is doing that anyway

Jess · December 19, 2008

eek I'm scared too! We are leaving for Cabo from Tijuana airport because it was a lot less expensive ($250 roundtrip vs $750 for New Years). My Mexican friends that live here in San Diego told me to be very careful because of all the drug stuff and extra slimey corrupt police down there. I'm scared - but at least the airport is pretty close to the border - keep me updated if you hear anything else. It just scares me because my friends wont even go down there....this is all Tijuana though, they said not to worry about other touristy parts of Mexico.

Bridget810 · December 19, 2008

I just wanted to say that I lived in Mexico City for two years, and while there was definitely crime (and I saw some pretty scary things), it was really no different than living in a big city in the US (where, once again, I've seen some pretty scary things). Furthermore, in Mexico, touristy-spots are TONS safer than non-touristy spots, so I see no cause for concern. Just use common sense; travel in groups, don't flash money around, don't leave items unattended, and, for gosh sakes, DON'T buy/smoke marijuana down there! I know that should go without saying, but the temptation of good & cheap pot has definitely been a temptation to some of my friends, and it's not worth it; Mexico jails are a lot different than the ones in the States.

bumbles · December 19, 2008

The State Dept issues travel alerts and warnings that you can subscribe to by country Current Travel Alerts

For Mexico, there were warnings about violence around the border which is expected and a couple issues of crime throughout the country (which is a problem for any country anyway).

I don't know if this will make her feel better or just more nervous about traveling to Mexico. At least the info on the DoS is not oversensationalized by the media, and she'll see that there's nothing serious in the the area you'll be visiting!

nibsmom · December 19, 2008

My mom is also all paranoid because apparently my aunt traveled down to Mexico at one point for a business trip and had to have security with her at all times. I am like...where in Mexico did you go?? I figure we are going to Cancun...thousands of really drunk college students travel there every year, and considering what probably goes on, I rarely hear about anyone having a bad experience. I work at a college, so I know A LOT of students who have spent a drunken crazy week down there!

Also, my fiance and almost all of his groomsmen and some of our guests are police officers...so I figure we'll have enough paranoia going on to keep us all safe and sound. LOL!