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John_Joey's avatar
John_Joey
Explorer
Dec 17, 2014

To be foretold, is to be forewarned.

I was looking at travel sites, an noticed the following link in one of them:

US Travel Warning for Mexico.

I thought it made for some interesting reading, and felt it was prudent for US snowbirds along the Mexican boarder to know what our government had to say on the topic. I for one never knew much more then that a warning was posted somewhere by the US.

For us in the RGV below is what was stated by the US government. I've talked to several that have gone over to Nuevo Progresso this winter and have said it is no different then any other year, and will go again.

I'm not making a statement either way on the topic, since I know it's a personal choice and we all have our different comfort levels. I'm assuming Canada has no such warning for it's citizens (only because I do not pay attention.) If they do, I would love to see a link to compare against the US's warning.

"Tamaulipas: Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Tampico are major cities/travel destinations in Tamaulipas - Defer non-essential travel to the state of Tamaulipas. All U.S. government employees are prohibited from personal travel on Tamaulipas highways outside of Matamoros, Reynosa, and Nuevo Laredo due to the risks posed by armed robbery and carjacking, particularly along the northern border. Traveling outside of cities after dark is not recommended. While no highway routes through Tamaulipas are considered safe, the highways between Matamoros-Ciudad Victoria, Reynosa-Ciudad Victoria, Ciudad Victoria-Tampico, Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo, and Monterrey-Reynosa, are more prone to criminal activity. In Matamoros, U.S. government employees are subject to movement restrictions between midnight and 6 a.m.

Matamoros, Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo, and Ciudad Victoria have experienced numerous gun battles and attacks with explosive devices in the past year. Violent conflicts between rival criminal elements and/or the Mexican military can occur in all parts of the region and at all times of the day. The number of reported kidnappings for Tamaulipas is among the highest in Mexico, and the number of U.S. citizens reported to the consulates in Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo as being kidnapped, abducted, or disappearing involuntarily in the first half of 2014 has also increased. In May 2014, a Mexican state and federal security initiative was announced focused on combating increased violence in the state."
  • We went across to Los Algodonas (out of Yuma) the other day. I felt safer there than I did in San Francisco, or Portland, Oregon......:) :)
  • If people choose to avoid all the potentially risky places in the world, they better enjoy watching television behind their quadruple locked security doors. Not my style of living.
  • Don't worry about it ,that stuff only happens to other people,oh!-wait.You are other people.
  • Earlier this week during the hostage situation in Sydney Australia our illustrious Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird issued a warning to Canadians not to visit Sydney.
    This was a hostage in a small coffee shop in a large city.

    You really have to wonder sometimes????
  • In my opinion the border town of Nuevo Progreso is becoming less and less inviting for a number of reasons. Food prices are often on a par with what is available in Texas, and the price of liquor is approaching that of the stores north of the border. With the punitive Texas tax, a bottle of booze is often within ten percent of a large liquor store in Weslaco. There is still some economic advantage to prescription drugs, but that does not apply to me. On top of that, there are always the rumors and fear mongers that tell of the latest slaughter, whether it really happened or not.

    Having said that, I love Nuevo Progreso and go there weekly for the unique atmosphere and experience. I hope we don't lose it.

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