Safety concerns escalate for American students traveling to Mexico for spring break [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!

• Safety fears for American students traveling to Mexico for spring break have increased after four Americans were kidnapped in Matamoras, a city known for gang violence and cartel activity.
• State Department officials have urged Americans to reconsider travel to Jalisco and Mexico City because of crime and kidnapping, and tourists are advised not to visit Guerrero, home to the popular beach resort of Acapulco.
• Former police officer, Frank Alcazar, warns that Americans should avoid traveling to Mexico, as the cartels are out of control and hunting for people with money.

American college students planning to visit Mexico for spring break are being warned of the risks of cartel violence and kidnapping. Safety fears have escalated after four Americans were kidnapped in the northern border city of Matamoras, which has become infamous for gang violence and is home to the Gulf Cartel.

Former police officer Frank Alcazar has advised Americans to avoid traveling to Mexico altogether, as the situation has never been more dangerous. He warned that the cartels are out of control and unscrupulous gang members may be “hunting” for Americans who travel to Mexico, as they are seen as a commodity for the cartels who want to make money.

State Department officials have urged Americans to reconsider travel to Jalisco, home to the Pacific Ocean resort Puerto Vallarta, due to crime and kidnapping. Travelers to Mexico City have also been told to exercise caution because of crime.

Additionally, the State Department has advised tourists not to head to Guerrero, home to the popular beach resort of Acapulco. The Texas Department of Public Safety director Steven McCraw has also warned that drug cartel violence “represents a significant safety threat” to anyone who enters Mexico.

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has claimed that the Latin American country is “safer” than the US and that there is no issue with traveling safely through Mexico.

However, investigator Martin Sandoval of the Brownsville Police Department in Texas stated that while there are certain parts of Mexico with high crime rates, there are other areas, such as Cancun, where tourists go and everything is great.

Source: the-sun.com