The U.S. Embassy in Mexico took the unusual step Monday of ordering all government personnel to steer clear of the border city of Reynosa, citing credible reports of violent criminal activity in the area.
In a security alert issued from the consulate in Matamoros, embassy officials said they had received multiple reports of violent incidents, including roadblocks set up by armed groups. The alert explicitly directed U.S. government employees to avoid the greater Reynosa region entirely.
Reynosa, home to more than 700,000 residents, is the largest city in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas. It lies just nine miles from the McAllen International Airport in Texas, connected by the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge spanning the Rio Grande. The city's proximity to the U.S. border makes it a frequent transit point for both legal commerce and illicit trafficking.
The State Department has long maintained a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory for Tamaulipas, citing risks from terrorism, crime, and kidnapping. The advisory warns that organized crime activity is pervasive along the northern border and in the state capital, Ciudad Victoria, with frequent gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault.
Five other Mexican states — Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, and Zacatecas — also carry the same Level 4 designation for similar reasons, underscoring the broad security challenges facing parts of Mexico.
The embassy urged any U.S. citizens currently in the Reynosa area to maintain a high level of vigilance, keep a low profile, monitor local media, stay aware of their surroundings, notify friends and family of their safety, review personal security plans, follow instructions from local authorities, and call 911 in an emergency. The State Department also offers a navigator tool for U.S. citizens in Mexico seeking information and resources.
The warning comes on the heels of a separate incident earlier this month in Chihuahua, on the opposite side of the country, where two U.S. officials died in a car crash alongside a Mexican official and a police officer. Multiple outlets reported that the U.S. officials were CIA agents returning from a counternarcotics operation with Mexican counterparts.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her government was not informed about the role of the U.S. officials in that operation, according to The Guardian. She added that she had requested the United States adhere to Mexican national security law in future operations, and that the U.S. government agreed.
The Reynosa alert and the Chihuahua incident together highlight the persistent security risks for U.S. personnel operating in Mexico, even as bilateral cooperation on security and migration remains a top priority for both governments.
