The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said Monday that government employees should avoid travel to a city near the U.S.-Mexico border due to “violent criminal activity.”
The American consulate in Matamoros, Mexico, obtained reports of criminal activity, including roadblocks set up in Reynosa, Mexico, according to a State Department bulletin.
U.S. employees in the area are advised to avoid the area, maintain a high degree of vigilance, keep a low profile, be aware of their surroundings, tell friends or family of their safety, monitor local media for updates, follow local authorities’ instructions, and to call 911 for emergency assistance, the embassy said.
Reynosa is the largest city in the state of Tamaulipas, in the northeastern corner of Mexico, around 10 miles from McAllen International Airport in Texas.
Currently, the U.S. Department of State has imposed a Level 4 travel warning for Tamaulipas state, advising people not to go there.
“There is a risk of violence in the state from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs, and criminal organizations,” the State Department said in an advisory.
It further warned that “organized crime activity is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria,” such as “gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault.”
That includes crime groups targeting private and public buses in the area, said the State Department, adding that cars traveling through Tamaulipas state could also be targeted.
The department has imposed Level 4, or “Do Not Travel,” warnings in Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, and Zacatecas states in Mexico, with officials citing similar reasons.
Seperately, two U.S. officials and two Mexican state officials died in a car crash earlier this month after an operation to destroy clandestine drug laboratories in the municipality of Morelos. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on April 20 that her government would investigate the operation.
Sheinbaum said during a press conference this past week that she would ask U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson to meet with Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco to discuss the incident.
The Mexican officials killed in the accident were the director of the state’s investigation agency and an officer, state authorities confirmed. Johnson issued a post on X mourning the incident, although he did not identify the deceased U.S. officials.
“This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by Mexican and United States officials dedicated to protecting our communities, and it strengthens our determination to continue their mission and advance our shared commitment to security and justice, to protect our people,” Johnson wrote on April 19.
Aside from states in Mexico, the Department of State has maintained a “worldwide caution” alert for American citizens that was issued after the start of the U.S.–Iran war.
“U.S. diplomatic facilities, including outside the Middle East, have been targeted,” the bulletin said. “Groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and/or Americans throughout the world.”
