The death of a Rio Grande Valley missionary has prompted the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to repeat a warning asking Texans to avoid traveling to Mexico.
In statement issued on Friday afternoon, DPS officials cited the death of 59-year-old Monte Alto woman Nancy Davis as the most recent in a string of violent events south of the border.
The agency also cited the Falcon Lake death of David Hartley, the bus hijacking death of UTB student Jonathon Torres and the kidnapping of five people in Nuevo Laredo in September as other examples.
DPS has issued warnings against travel in Mexico four times in the past year, as violence in many parts of Mexico has increased.
Friday's warning urged Winter Texans and others to consider that the DPS cannot guarantee their safety once they cross the border.
“We recognize people travel and vacation in Mexico on a daily basis, but the increase in violence is a reality. Recent events show that drug-related violence does not spare innocent bystanders and that criminals will attack tourists,” said DPS Director Steven C. McCraw in the statement.
January 28, 2011
DPS repeats warning to avoid travel to Mexico
The Texas Department of Public Safety is again warning Texans to avoid traveling to Mexico in light of recent violent events in and around Tamaulipas State.
“We know that many of our Winter Texans enjoy traveling to Mexico, but they should understand that we cannot guarantee their safety after they cross the border,” said Steven C. McCraw, DPS director. “If violence does occur, we cannot guarantee that anyone will be brought to justice for those acts.”
A Texas missionary was killed earlier this week as she and her husband attempted to escape from a number of men trying to stop them. The men opened fire on the couple, striking the woman in the head. Other recent violent events along the border include the shooting of an American on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake in late September the killing of a University of Texas-Brownsville student in October and the suspected abduction of four men from San Marcos and a 14-year-old from Chicago who were visiting Nuevo Laredo in late November.
DPS has issued warnings against travel in Mexico four times in the past year, as violence in many parts of Mexico has increased.
“We recognize people travel and vacation in Mexico on a daily basis, but the increase in violence is a reality. Recent events show that drug-related violence does not spare innocent bystanders and that criminals will attack tourists,” McCraw said.
In an early January statement, the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros advised U.S. citizens traveling in Tamaulipas to be aware of numerous reported crimes against American citizens in the area. Many carjackings have been reported along Carreterra Federal 101, which runs from Ciudad Victoria to San Fernando.
The statement encourages U.S. citizens living or traveling in Mexico to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through their website at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/.
Travelers should always check the U.S. State Department website for the most up-to-date information related to security issues in Mexico. (See http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html or http://mexico.usembassy.gov/eng/eacs_MexicoSecurityUpdate.html.)
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT