U.S. travelers are reminded that U.S. government employees must adhere to the following travel restrictions: There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees to other parts of Oaxaca state, which include tourist areas in:Oaxaca City,Monte Alban,Puerto Escondido,andHuatulco. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping. In 2021, the State of Mexico was the federal entity with the most crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in Mexico. Today we are delivering on yet another commitment by releasing our second U.S. Safety Report, with data that continues to show that the vast majority of trips on Uber-more than 99.9%-are completed without any safety report at . The Lpez Obrador government blames poor security on state authorities, and state authorities blame it on municipal ones. Twenty-four of 32 states have legalized same-sex marriage. Travelers should consult local advice on safe and unsafe areas, maintain a low profile and consider hiring security escorts in high-risk states, says Ruuska. In October 2020, Mexico was re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council. At night the beaches in tourist areas are also potentially dangerous. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Puebla state. Be extra vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs. As a government official inTierra Calientetold me: Frankly, public security here, all life really, is totally managed by the narcos.. Now they seek to influence with violence and money who can run and win to begin with. As one of the worlds top 15 emitters of greenhouse gases, Mexico is contributing to the climate crisis that is taking a growing toll on human rights around the globe. This piece is part of a series titled "Nonstate armed actors and illicit economies in 2022" from Brookings'sInitiative on Nonstate Armed Actors. In 2019, crime in Mexico was a serious issue. These include high-traffic tourism areas of border and coastal communities, such asTijuana,Ensenada, andRosarito. The government issued sentences for convicted traffickers ranging from three years' to 195 years' imprisonment, and the average term of imprisonment was 21 years. Whether in high-value targeting, countering violence and criminality in natural resources, or suppressing robberies and extortion, Mexicos various military and law enforcement forces are instructed to only undertake operations without the visible use of force even when criminal militias take over new territories and declare autonomy, or cartels bomb local populations. But the 2021 mid-terms showed to an unprecedented degree that the criminal groups are no longer satisfied to coopt elected officials. The picture is not good. Exercise Increased Caution When Traveling To: Exercise Normal Precautions When Traveling To: Visit our website forTravel to High-Risk Areas. Self-styled militias, sometimes fronts for rival criminal groups, other times with great proclivity to slide into many facets of criminality, persist and proliferate, as the government looks on. Battles for territory between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens and U.S. government employees, including restaurants and malls during daylight hours. Of particular concern is the high number of homicides in the non-tourist areas of Tijuana. Violent crime and gang activity are common in parts of Durango state. Each month the Secretariado Ejecutivo del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pblica publishes information on crimes known to the police across all of Mexico on its website in the form of pdf tables and Excel files. Whether in high-value targeting, countering violence and criminality in natural resources, or suppressing robberies and extortion, Mexicos various military and law enforcement forces are instructed to only undertake operations without the visible use of force even when criminal militias take over new territories and declare autonomy, or cartels bomb local populations. Some tips: Learn some basic Spanish and keep personal things to yourself. Six allow it for any reason up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. There are no other restrictions on travel for U.S government employees in Jalisco state which includes tourist areas in:Guadalajara Metropolitan Area,Puerto Vallarta (including neighboring Riviera Nayarit),Chapala, andAjijic. In reality, Mexico is as safe as the United States. The violence is more heavily concentrated in some areas, although few areas are totally immune. Country Summary : Violent crime - such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery - is widespread and common in Mexico. Assistance: For Emergency Assistance for U.S. citizens in Mexico, call (55) 868 206 1076 from Mexico or 1-844-528-6611 from the United States. Details of what bilateral cooperation will be preserved are supposed to emerge from the U.S.-Mexico working groups this month. FILE-Police tape marks the perimeter of a crime scene in Mexico. Elsewhere, they have to live with sharing, like the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacin (CJNG) do in the fentanyl and meth precursor hub Lzaro Crdenas. Just 3 in 10 New Mexicans feel safe calling New Mexico home, putting The Land of Enchantment in a tie with Louisiana for the state where people feel least safe overall. From 2013 through 2020, the CNDH received 3,799 complaints of military abuses. His administration has given SEDENA and SEMAR responsibilities for custom collection and awarded them contracts for building airports, luxury apartments, and presumed critical infrastructure (sometimes foolishly environmentally-damaging infrastructure like the Mayan Train), while promising to exempt them from all kinds of oversight. The month before, a California travel blogger and a German tourist were killed in a shooting in Tulum. In the face of uninvestigated violence, many journalists self-censor. Mexico endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration in May 2021. As this and my upcoming Mexico Today OpEds will detail, the picture is not good. Puebla state Exercise Increased Caution. Follow the U.S. Embassy on Facebook and Twitter. If population growth rate would be same as in period 2010-2014 (+0.91%/year), San Miguel de Allende population in 2020 would be: 76 465*. Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Most homicides appeared to be targeted; however, criminal organization assassinations and territorial disputes can result in bystanders being injured or killed. Occasionally, though, such as in Oaxaca, or Chihuahua City, local governments have succeeded in improving the effectiveness of municipal police forces. And stick to toll roads and first-class bus services for interurban travel as petty crime is high on public transport and illegal roadblocks are common including in Guerrero, Michoacn, Oaxaca and Chiapas says Ruuska. Unfortunately, crime looms over the nation. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Queretaro state. Authorities routinely fail to investigate crimes against journalists adequately, often preemptively ruling out their profession as a motive. The overarching bipolar rivalry between the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG spans not just Mexico but violently all the way to Colombia and non-violently into Asia-Pacific. Abortion access varies by state. We caught up with Ruuska to find out whether its safe to travel to Mexico right now. Low turnout invalidated the results. Then there's Covid-19, which is still problematic. Nor do reductions in murders mean other forms of violence, such as extortion, or criminal groups control over territories and people, have lessened. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping. In much of Michoacn, Guerrero, Tamaulipas, or Veracruz, local politics, economics, and much of peoples everyday life is arbitrated by the narcos. Officials and experts agree that the real number of Covid-19 infections and deaths is likely many times higher than the official count. At all levels, police reform has mostly stalled. More than 23,000 are listed as having disappeared since President Lpez Obrador took office in December 2018. President Lpez Obrador has vastly expanded the scope of the military in public security, often supplanting civilian law enforcement. U.S. government employees may not travel to other areas of Sinaloa state. However, pursuit of justice remains elusive. It might seem that 2022 is starting off with important positive news about the crime and security situation in Mexico. It ruled that state governments do not have the authority to legislate that life begins at conception. Some provisions, including those that peg the severity of punishments for sexual offenses to the chastity of the victim, contradict international standards. Families of the disappeared have formed more than 130 search collectives to investigate disappearances, including, frequently, by digging up mass graves. Lpez Obradors initiative Sowing Life, which he touts as a major component of his strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions, may have caused 72,000 hectares of forest loss, with inadequate monitoring enabling beneficiaries to clear forests and then be paid by the government to plant trees. Yet the criminal groups capacities to hold turf often remains flimsy, with groups like CJNG brazenly seeking to conquer entire territories withdrone-mounted bombs, and groups like the Sinaloa Cartel taking over legal and illegal economies and politics in a more buttoned-down and less blatant manner, but no less systematically. The Mexican governments response remains deeply troubling mostly a hope the criminals will sort it out among themselves. In September, the Supreme Court made three rulings that set important precedents for reproductive rights. In the high-traffic tourist areas, crime is nearly zero and there are helpful and friendly people everywhere, including local information . Areas of violent contestation, such as Zacatecas or San Luis Potos, can become almost anarchical with violence. Its distribution is opaque and discretionary. According to their latest travel advisory, Mexico is considered: Level 3: Reconsider Travel The crime and violence rates referenced in the travel advisory are for broad regions while the incidence of this activity tends to be highly concentrated in areas which are not frequented by travelers. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Baja California Sur state, which includes tourist areas in:Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo,andLa Paz. In September 2021, the Defense Ministry admitted that at least 47 people had been killed or injured by the armed forces during the Lpez Obrador presidency, according to information obtained through transparency requests by Mexican journalists. Mexico - Safety and Security Safety and Security This is a best prospect industry sector for this country. In July 2020, 12 civilians were killed in a shootout with soldiers in Tamaulipas state. Includes a market overview and trade data. Keep traveling companions and family back home informed of your travel plans. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Campeche state. In 2016the last year for which data is availableMexicos national statistics office surveyed more than 64,000 people incarcerated in 338 prisons. March 17, 2022. When forces such as the Mexican Army (SEDENA) and Navy (SEMAR) or the National Guard, now numbering perhaps 100,000, are deployed, they are mostly sent to patrol the streets without active operations against local criminal groups. Solomon Pea, an unsuccessful 2022 Republican Candidate for New Mexico House District 14, was arrested Monday by the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) SWAT team for a string of recent shootings . A 2019 study by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights documented the Mechanisms problems in coordinating protective measures, providing resources, and establishing clear procedures. Recent hotspots of cartel clashes and related crime include the mining cities of Caborca in Sonora statewhere authorities imposed a nightly curfew due to an uptick in violent crime in Februaryand Fresnillo in Zacatecas, where authorities have reinforced ongoing security operations against criminal organizations amid record-high homicide rates. Elsewhere, same-sex couples must petition for an injunction (amparo) to be allowed to marry. For drivers, Ruuska says its best to avoid traveling overnight. Most homicides are targeted assassinations against members of criminal organizations. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Mexico State. As of October 17, 42,357 Hondurans were deported in 2021 to . Crime and violence in Mexico - statistics & facts Published by Statista Research Department , Jun 2, 2022 Despite being one of the leading tourism destinations in the world, Mexico regularly. Do not walk alone at night, especially in unfamiliar neighborhoods, desolate areas or beaches. Yet, the 2022 outlook for both the rule of law and public safety in Mexico and meaningful U.S.-Mexico security cooperation remains bleak. GUANAJUATO, Mexico This colonial city, with its Spanish architecture and cobblestone streets, has long beckoned Mexican . Criminal cartels, common criminals, and sometimes police and migration officials regularly target people migrating through Mexico to rob, kidnap, extort, rape, or kill them. In its December 2020 climate action plan, Mexico increased the baseline against which its emissions reductions are calculated but maintained its 2015 emissions reduction commitments. U.S. government employees should avoid traveling alone, especially in remote areas. Recent shooting incidents have mainly been settling of scores between drug traffickers.. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. In many states, people with disabilities have no choice but to depend on their families for assistance or to live in institutions, which is inconsistent with their right to live independently and be included in the community under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Arrive during daylight and take a regulated taxi or ride-sharing service when transiting after sunset. If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, it means it is perceived as very high. And in December, the new U.S.-Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health and Safe Communities went into effect, replacing the Mrida Initiative that Lpez Obrador intensely disliked while his administration severely minimized U.S.-Mexico security cooperation. Legal and illegal fishermen and entire associations and industries feel they have no backup from the Mexican government to resist the narcos takeover. At the height of Mexico's drug war, cartel assassins roamed our streets. The CNB searches mass graves across the country. Causes of failure include corruption, inadequate training and resources, and complicity of prosecutors and public defenders with criminals and other abusive officials. Anyone over the age of 18 was eligible to receive at least the first dose of the vaccine by September. Article 19 reported five journalists killed in relation to their work from January to September 2021. Lpez Obrador has cut budgets and personnel to many Mexican institutions and left them with minimal regulatory, oversight, and minimal capacities. And the state police forces can only investigate ordinary crime, not organized crime. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping. The decline in homicides is welcome. Use additional caution in areas outside of the frequented tourist areas, although petty crime occurs frequently in tourist areas as well. Now they seek to influence with violence and money who can run and win to start with. The National Guard, like SEMAR and SEDENA, lacks an investigative authority. Reconsider travel due to crime and kidnapping. Mexico Today is brought to you by REFORMA, Mexicos leading and most trusted news organization. Instead of police reform, Lpez Obrador has intensified militarization of public life in Mexico not just in security, but also in the economic domain. Mexico's homicide rate has been rising every year since 2014 but it remains well below those of other countries worldwide. Do not travel due to crime and kidnapping. Elsewhere, they have to live with sharing, like the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacin (CJNG) do in the fentanyl and meth precursor hub Lzaro Crdenas. The Defense Ministry has paid compensation to families but has not sanctioned any soldiers or reported the cases to police or prosecutors for criminal investigation. US issues travel alert for Tamaulipas following violence in Nuevo Laredo. The Lpez Obrador administration has failed to take many of the basic steps recommended by global health authorities to limit the spread of Covid-19. Although 94 percent of Mexican households have television, a lack of affordable internet access left many children, especially those in low-income households or with disabilities, unable to fully participate in education. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Aguascalientes state. Mexico's foreign policy with regard to human rights under the Lpez Obrador . Yucatan state Exercise Normal Precautions. MEXICO security officials. Add data for Mexico City. In many states, police presence and emergency services are extremely limited outside the state capital or major cities. Unlike the Federal Police which the Lpez Obrador administration dismantled, the National Guard is nominally supposed to be stationed in a locality permanently. Yet the criminal groups capacities to hold turf often remains flimsy, with groups like CJNG brazenly seeking to conquer entire territories with drone-mounted bombs, and groups like the Sinaloa Cartel taking over legal and illegal economies and politics in a more buttoned-down and less blatant manner, but no less systematically. Organized crime activity - including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking . article. Compared to other large cities around the world, the Cozumel Mexico crime rate is low and is generally a safe destination for travelers. Mexico Public Safety responded to the following calls for service between Friday and Sunday: Friday: Burglary in progress in the 400 block of West Pearson Property damage in the 400 block of West Pearson 3 reports of stop arm violations 3 reports of shoplifting in the 4800 block of South Clark Fire in the 2100 block of Jubel Drive Saturday: The CNB reported that during that period, of the 3,025 bodies exhumed, authorities identified 1,153 and returned 822 to their families. It is most frequently applied after victims are detained, often arbitrarily, but before they are handed to civilian prosecutors. In November 2019, the Senate named Rosario Piedra Ibarra to head the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH). Victims of cartel turf wars, random crime and domestic violence included 172 women and 43 minors; citizens' groups demand police accountability. And in December, the newU.S.-Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communitieswent into effect, replacing the Mrida Initiative that Lpez Obrador intensely disliked while his administrationseverely minimizedU.S.-Mexico security cooperation. Introducing new standards and mask verification technology to prioritize health and safety in the face of COVID-19. In 2020, the government reported nearly 1,000 femicideskillings of women because of their gender. Travel on Highway 5 is permissible during daylight hours. Yet the dismantling of the Federal Police also led to a profound reduction in the number of investigators and investigative capacity in Mexico by some 70-75 percent, Mexican lawyers and security officials estimated in conversations with me. If you wish to remain on travel.state.gov, click the "cancel" message. Legal reforms enacted in 2017 and 2018 have been slow and ineffective in addressing torture and impunity. The ruling was based on the best interest of the child and the principles of equality and non-discrimination. As of September 2021, the platform had recorded over 90,000 people disappeared, mostly since 2006. Violent crime is widespread. The Jalisco is allegedly powering the production of 12 percent of all Mexican-made illicit cigarettes, stepping up efforts across the value chain of an illegal economy now dominated by local. From January through August 2021, Mexico received nearly 78,000 asylum applications but resolved just over 23,000. Campeche state Exercise Normal Precautions. People with disabilities receive little government protection or support and are at higher risk of abuse and neglect by their families. From 2006 to 2020, at least 50,000 bodies passed through the custody of state and local forensic medical services without being properly identified. Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments. This was 0.058% of total Mexico population. The 2022 outlook for both the rule of law and public safety in Mexico and meaningful U.S.-Mexico security cooperation remains bleak, writes Vanda Felbab-Brown as she discusses her findings from recently spending several weeks in various parts of Mexico researching the evolution of crime and security policies.