State Department issues unusual Mexico travel alert

by Ned Levi on October 17, 2008

The State Department has issued a strongly-worded Travel Alert for US citizens traveling and living in Mexico. Bottom line: next time you go south of the border, you have to be street smart.

The government says because of the Mexican government’s crackdown on drug trafficking organizations, Mexican drug cartels are engaged in an escalating, extraordinarily violent fight for the control of the highly lucrative narcotics trafficking trade between the US and Mexico.

The State Department reports that,

Some recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have taken on the characteristics of small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and, on occasion, grenades.

Firefights have taken place in many towns and cities across Mexico but particularly in northern Mexico, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez. The situation in northern Mexico remains fluid; the location and timing of future armed engagements cannot be predicted.

Evidence of the devastating wave of new crime and violence was cited in the State Department Alert, including:

  1. More than 1,600 cars were reportedly stolen in Ciudad Juarez in the month of July 2008 alone,
  2. Bank robberies along the Mexican border are up dramatically,
  3. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Ciudad Juarez this year,
  4. Rates for robberies, homicides, petty thefts, and carjackings have all increased over the last year across Mexico generally, with notable spikes in Tijuana and northern Baja California,
  5. Cuidad Juarez, Tijuana, and Nogales are among the cities which have recently experienced public shootouts during daylight hours in shopping centers and other public venues,
  6. Criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles in border areas including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, Tijuana, and along Route 15 between Nogales and Hermosillo.

If you’re planning to travel to Mexico anytime soon, you need to be “street aware” and use your “street smarts.” Take precautions. Only travel in groups. Visit only business and tourist areas you know to be “safe” and legitimate.

Avoid areas where drug dealing and prostitution probably or may occur. Be extremely careful at night, or stay in your hotel. Don’t go to areas of Mexico where violence and daytime shootouts have been occurring.

Stay clear of demonstrations or large public gatherings. Don’t carry expensive items such as digital cameras or other gear in plain sight. Don’t wear expensive jewelry in public. Don’t display large amounts of cash or other valuables. Dress plainly. Carry minimal ID and credit cards.

If you feel you must drive in Mexico, stick to the main roads and only drive during daylight hours. If possible, stay mostly on Mexico’s toll (“cuota”) roads, which are generally more secure, as you travel between destinations. Make sure you provide your itinerary to a friend and/or family member with whom you are not traveling.

Carry a GSM enabled cell phone that functions and is activated for international calls. If your phone is CDMA based, such as from Verizon or Sprint, it will not work in Mexico. Mexico has only GSM service. Both AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM based in the US, however, even if you have a phone from one of those cellular carriers, make sure it has the right frequencies for Mexico, and that your phone is activated for international service. If necessary, rent an “international cell phone” from one of the many reputable companies providing internationally-activated GSM based phones.

I have been to Mexico many times and have found the Mexican people to be a very friendly, warm citizenry. There are many splendid attractions to visit there, and some wonderful resorts. During the upcoming months if you’re traveling to Mexico, I would be very wary, extremely alert for trouble and problems, and very careful when there.

Before any US citizen or resident travels outside the country, I always recommend they carefully review the US Department of State, Country Specific Information, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts for each of their destinations. The information contained in the reports about a country’s, Entry/Exit Requirements, Safety and Security, Crime, Medical Facilities and Health Information, Traffic Safety and Road Conditions, Children’s Issues, and a whole host of other information is absolutely invaluable.

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Tagged as: Car Theft, cell phone, Country Specific Information, crime, driving, Drug Trafficking, GSM, Mexico, safety, State Department, Travel Alert, Violence

  • http://travel.booklocker.com/ Tim

    “If your phone is CDMA based, such as from Verizon or Sprint, it will not work in Mexico.”

    This is false. I have used my Sprint phone on 7 different trips to Mexico.

    You just have to have one that is tri-band or quad-band, which is almost all of them. Mine is 2-1/2 years old.

    It’ll cost you though…

  • Ned Levi

    Tim, thanks for pointing out that Sprint will work in Mexico.

    I contacted Sprint who confirmed they indeed have limited coverage in Mexico.

    This is the Sprint Coverage Map for Mexico.

    As you can see, the best coverage for Sprint in Mexico primarily centers around Mexico City. Verizon and Sprint have GSM roaming deals. Some phones they have available will handle both CDMA and GSM. Those phones will work throughout the country, however, as you pointed out, they can be pricey, and users shouldn’t forget to have international service on GSM roaming activated on them. The procedures at the various cell phone companies vary a great deal. Each person should contact their provider to find out what’s necessary.

    If you’re going to drive or tour in Mexico, outside major cities, however, I continue to agree with the US State Department, who states in their Mexico Travel Alert, “U.S. citizens should avoid traveling alone, and should carry a GSM-enabled cell phone that functions internationally.”

    Again Tim, thanks for your comment.

  • Joseph

    Ned, I think you might want to do more research on this subject. My Verizon phones (CDMA) work everywhere I have been in Mexico, including all the major tourist areas from Cabo to Cozumel. It is important to make arrangements with Verizon for service in Mexico before leaving the US, otherwise it might not be possible to obtain the service. I am sure the high cost that Tim referred to was for the service itself, not for the phone (although cell phones may also be relatively expensive in Mexico).
    However, I believe that the best solution for cell phone service for those who travel frequently is to take an UNLOCKED quad-band GSM phone with you and buy a prepaid SIM card as soon as soon as practical after arrival. This would give you a much lower service rate (i.e., per minute cost), especially for local calls. To call the US from Europe it is advisable to have a US calling card (make sure it has access numbers in European countries or wherever you will be travelling). To call from the Orient, every prepaid SIM card I have purchased there included international direct dialing to the US for well under US10 cents per minute. Finally, foreign cell phone services employ Calling Party Pays, so that the time on an incoming call does not count against your prepaid minutes. There may also be a surcharge for “Mobile Terminated Calls” on the caller’s phone bill in addition to the minute charge.
    Thanks. I enjoy your columns.

  • Ned Levi

    Joseph, your comment and Tim’s are another example that we have the best readers here at Tripso.

    I called Verizon before writing the column and asked them about their service in Mexico. Apparently the woman I spoke to didn’t know her stuff. She indicated to me that the CDMA service they had in Mexico was generally only in the main cities and that I should get their combo phone for traveling Internationally, so I could use GSM outside the US.

    I’m pleased you set the record straight. Your comment is a very helpful for our readers. Thanks.

    When traveling outside the US, even on business, Mrs. L. usually travels with me. That’s part of the joy of working for myself. It’s always great to have her with me. The reason I mention that is I’m with one of the GSM vendors in the US, and take my phone all over the world. I keep it with the normal SIM as I use the phone for my clients to be able to contact me anywhere I’m located. If we’re going to be in a country for more than a few days (France for a week last year for example) then I purchase a local SIM and we use it in Mrs. L’s unlocked cell phone (also GSM) for local calls. I also have an international plan (we’re out of the country often) on my phone so my International rates are quite low.

    Thanks again for your comment, and kind words about my columns.

  • Ton

    “Finally, foreign cell phone services employ Calling Party Pays, so that the time on an incoming call does not count against your prepaid minutes”

    that is true and it is not

    local calls are indeed that way, however if you move into a different country (which in the eu can happen without noticing it) the receiving party pays part of the cost

    remember not every country is big

  • richard

    Sure it work but will you idiot enough to pay the roaming, reason why get att or tmobile because you can swap local sims card for much cheaper rate.

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