SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning Tuesday for popular Mexico tourist destinations due to criminal activity.
U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery, said State Department officials.
The ban includes Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada, Tecate, Riviera Nayarit and Mexicali. CLICK HERE to view the full list.
The travel warning issued by State Department officials explained that U.S. citizens had been murdered in carjackings and highway robberies, most frequently at night and on isolated roads.
Carjackers used various techniques including roadblocks, bumping or moving vehicles to force them to stop, or running vehicles off the road at high speed.
The State Department warned that criminals target newer and larger vehicles but drivers of old sedans and buses coming from the United States are also targeted.
U.S. government personnel are not permitted to drive from the international border to Mexico’s interior. Personnel are also banned from intercity travel after dark in many areas of Mexico.
Gun battles between rival criminal groups or with Mexican authorities have taken place on streets and in public places during broad daylight, officials said.
In some places, criminal organizations have created their own checkpoints staffed with people in unauthorized police and military uniforms, said the State Department.
There is no sign U.S. citizens are being targeted.
