The Canadian government has issued a travel advisory warning travelers to avoid parts of Mexico and exercise “high levels of caution” when traveling throughout the country due to “high levels of criminal activity and kidnapping.”
This week, Canada’s government issued a travel advisory that lists 13 Mexican states as areas that tourists should avoid due to the high danger presented by cartel violence. The updated advisory comes at a time when Mexico’s government continues to make frequent announcements on crime statistics and advances in public safety. The reality is that cartel violence continues to plague the country, and the perception by locals is that it continues to get worse.
In the advisory, Canadian authorities warn of the risks of traveling in Mexico City amid the threat of violent protests. Last week, Mexico City had a large-scale protest that turned violent when thousands of citizens took to the streets to voice out their concerns about the Mexican government’s apparent refusal to take control away from drug cartels, Breitbart Texas reported. A similar protest is expected this week. Canadian officials warn tourists to avoid protests not only for the risk of violence but also because it is illegal for them to take part in political activity and could face detention, deportation, and being barred from returning to Mexico.
Canadian authorities claimed that due to the widespread presence of drug cartels, “clashes between cartels or gangs over territory, drugs and smuggling routes are common.” Officials also claimed that “armed clashes between security forces and drug cartels can occur without warning”.
In the case of tourist destinations, Canadian officials claim that while Mexico has deployed a large number of security forces to lower crime, cartel violence continues to take place, with high-impact crimes having taken place in bars, nightclubs, and hotels, with some cases innocent bystanders having been injured or killed simply by having been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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