Anyone very easily can end up in the midst of a shootout. The level of crimes in here is high. Due to the constant influx of immigrants, this city also remains unstable in terms of security. See Mexico Travel Advisory for details. Who is Mara Herrera, Mexicos madre buscadora who made it onto the Time 100 list? But people are back and forth there everyday like going to the mall. The attacks in Reynosa, which sits on the US-Mexico border in the state of Tamaulipas, took place in under two hours on June 19, with people seemingly targeted at random by gunmen traveling in vans, according to local media outlet Elefante Blanco. How much safer do you feel in Mexico City now compared to years ago. The cameras, presumably placed by criminal groups, were disguised as payphones, electricity meters and streetlights. On Saturday, authorities detained a person who was transporting two apparently kidnapped women in the trunk of a car. Reductions in fighting, such as in Michoacns Apatzingn or Guerreros Acapulco where I conducted fieldwork, occurs mainlybecause a particular group or criminal alliance manages to establish temporary territorial control, a narcopeace: be it Crteles Unidos in that part of theTierra Caliente,or Caro Quinteros and Los Chapitos branches of the Sinaloa Cartel in high-value extortion and drug trafficking in Acapulco. If you are white, you are immediately targeted as a free ride pickpockets, kids prostituting their sister or mom, and this is in daylight. These include rape, kidnapping, extortion, human trafficking and other assaults against migrants who were deported to Mexico or people who were prevented from seeking asylum at the U.S. border under Title 42, a health ordinance implemented during the coronavirus pandemic. He also says he is fighting corruption to stop the infiltration of organized crime among authorities. The states governor, Francisco Garca Cabeza de Vaca, is a fugitive. It is also not safe to ride a bicycle here and drive a rented car. In March, the two criminal groupsfought a running battlefor an entire day between the municipalities of Matamoros and Rio Bravo. That will lead to more kidnappings, assaults, torture and other violent attacks, said Kennji Kizuka, associate director of research and analysis at Human Rights First. "Criminal organizations must receive a clear, explicit and forceful signal from the Federal Government that there will be no room for impunity, nor tolerance for their reprehensible criminal behavior," said Garca Cabeza de Vaca of the rival National Action Party. "In my government there will be no truce for the violent.". While Reynosa is a major criminal hotspot on the border and regularly sees shootoutsbetween gangs, violence on this scale had not been seen forat least four years. Take a food tour! He has assured Mexicans that he is fighting the root causes of the violence and since the beginning of his administration in December 2018, he has advocated "hugs, not bullets" in dealing with criminals. The report warns that almost 83 percent of asylum-seekers who were returned to Mexico reported having suffered attacks or threats in the last month, according to data from the survey conducted from mid-June to mid-August. There is also the presence of various groups previously associated to the Zetas many of them are not just dedicated to drug trafficking but also kidnapping, extortion, oil theft and piracy, she explained. An Indigenous man from Honduras reported that he was kidnapped and separated from his 5-year-old son after being expelled to Reynosa, Mexico. The Cartel del Golfo the Gulf drug cartel has virtually disappeared after splintering into groups across the state that are involved in a wide range of criminal activities, from oil theft to arms trafficking, drug trafficking and human trafficking, Guerrero said. In each section of the investigation, there are many complaints from migrants who were alleged victims of cartels and other criminal groups in Mexican cities. Follow the U.S. Consulate Matamoros onFacebookandTwitter. The next day he crossed the border bridge to request asylum. The number of immigrants is growing here. 2023 Copyright by Travel Safe - Abroad. In one such program I encountered in Michoacn, for example, teenagers were paid by the government to receive training as hairdressers while the hairdressers were paid for the teaching. The coordinating agency released no details about the 14 people killed by attackers, but local media reports said one family could have been killed. Lpez Obrador, often referred to by his initials, AMLO, has said he would not repeat the mistakes of previous administrations that did not contain cartel violence, which surged after President Felipe Caldern launched a military crackdown on the gangs in 2006. Keep your friends and loved ones up to date on your whereabouts via phone, text, and social media and let them know you are safe, when possible. But a year later, the gangs had destroyed 100 of them, of which the government was only able to reinstall 40%. Simultaneously Caldern also began pursuing the so-calledkingpin strategyby which authorities sought to decapitate the cartels by targeting their leaders. I told him the guys that searched my car didnt give me passport back. Prez Moreno said he and his friend panicked and paid more than $600 to be released from the car to avoid being taken and confined to safe houses where drug cartels hold people they kidnap at the border. Thats my job! In fact, many believe such tactics served only to pulverize the world of organized crime, creating even more violence as new, less predictable factions squabbled for their piece of the pie. The reduction is not fundamentally due to improved security policies. Authorities have not provided a motive or explanation for the attacks. The risk of pickpocketing is not so high here. In October and November, I spent several weeks in various parts of Mexico researching the evolution of crime and security policies. The bloodshed appears to have been sparked by the killing of a Gulf cartel leader. Images posted on social media showed bodies in the streets. He asked permission to enter a house but my brother and his companions were only about to enter when the vehicles arrived. Despite its reputation, Reynosa is an industrial hub for Northern Tamaulipas and the Rio Grande Valley. Travel to this region is not recommended. They stopped in front of them and started to shoot.. Are you on Telegram? Having had his political immunitystripped, he faces a warrant for hisarreston charges of ties to organized crime. Ochoa also suggested to InSight Crime that the violent rampage could have been due to a third, simpler option. Legal and illegal fishermen and entire associations and industries feel they have no backup from the Mexican government to resist the narcos takeover. Associated Press Had 0 problems other than a hater hating on my looks and flooding on my last day there. Whether in high-value targeting, countering violence and criminality in natural resources, or suppressing robberies and extortion, Mexicos various military and law enforcement forces are instructed to only undertake operations without the visible use of force even when criminal militias take over new territories and declare autonomy, or cartels bomb local populations. Elsewhere, they have to live with sharing, like the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacin (CJNG) do in the fentanyl and meth precursor hub Lzaro Crdenas. Amlo also pledged to chair daily 6am security meetings and create a 60,000 strong "National Guard". The National Action Party, to which Garca belongs, recently lostits majority in Tamaulipas legislature, which may have forced criminal groups to try and seek leverage and forge new agreements with politicians. Eduardo Guerrero, a security analyst based in Mexico City, said the governors swipe was a response to what critics have called a lenient stance on drug crime. Security is one of the great challenges facing the government of President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador. It gives very good risk indicators for many topics and what tourists should check out in the area. People would be under tarps guarding their area with guns. An investigation by Human Rights First compiled thousands of attacks against migrants and asylum-seekers, including kidnapping, extortion, human trafficking and rape. The Gulf cartel, which. Mexico; Local News; Immigration/Border Wall . I had to park far away and walk all the way back to border where a manager type guy came at me to stop. In Reynosa, Tamaulipas, the good guys watch the bad guys and vice versa. Security Alert - U.S. Consulate General Matamoros, Mexico - (June 25, 2021) Location: Reynosa, Tamaulipas Event: Cartel Violence In light of the violence that occurred in Reynosa on June 19, U.S. government personnel in Reynosa are temporarily restricted from field operations and official movements other than home-to-work. Their ebb and flow largely reflect choices and tit-for-tat responses by criminal groups toward one another. He said that in early August, when he was finally a few miles from the U.S. border, he took a taxi with a friend who accompanied him to request asylum at the border. The areas criminal activity has long been dominated by the Gulf cartel which since 2017 has been riven by internal conflicts over territories for drug and human trafficking. The borough's Holy Week passion play the oldest, most elaborate and best-known in the country celebrated its 180th edition this year. This is the controversial program that the Trump administration employed between January 2019 and January 2021 to send over 71,000 non-Mexican asylum seekers to await their U.S. hearings inside Mexico, usually in Mexican border cities with some of the world's highest violent crime rates. On Sunday, Reynosa residents were quiet as if nothing had happened, but with a feeling of anger because now crime has happened to innocent people, said local businessman Misael Chavarria Garza. They heard the gunshots from afar and my stepfather told him: Son, you have to take shelter. So he asked permission to enter a house but my brother and his companions were only about to enter when the vehicles arrived, Ruiz said. Several of the past governors of the state of Tamaulipas have been accused of corruption and links to organized crime. Your use of this service is subject to our, Worries being subject to a physical attack because of your skin color, ethnic origin, gender or religion, Problem property crimes such as vandalism and theft, Problem violent crimes such as assault and armed robbery. Recently, they have diversified into an array of other illegal activities. Copyright 2009-2023 Numbeo. Taxis are only safe if you order a licensed car. Research data reveals that89 percent of people from the LGBTQ community who participated in the surveys were attackedor received threats recently. The community is across from Reynosa, Mexico, one of the most dangerous places in the Americas due to cartel violence. Eunice Rendn, an academic and international consultant on migration issues, who did not participate in the research, agrees with the report's findings. Mexicos president just says no to U.S. cash to fight drug crime. In a new report, the Washington-based organization Human Rights Firsthas registered 6,356 violent attacks against migrants in Mexico since January. (modern). It will be virtually impossible to achieve peace without justice and [social] welfare, Amlo said, promising to slash the murder rate from an average of 89 killings per day with his hugs not bullets doctrine. [The events in Reynosa] appear to have been improvised; 14 civilians died who were not involved [in organized crime] it was a very disorganized operation. It might seem that 2022 is starting off with important positive news about the crime and security situation in Mexico. How much safer do you feel in Mexico City now compared to years ago. Another hypothesis is that the shootouts were due to the recent political upheaval seen in Tamaulipas. He also says he is fighting corruption to stop the infiltration of organized crime among authorities. Lpez Obrador has cut budgets and personnel to many Mexican institutions and left them with minimal regulatory, oversight, and minimal capacities. Its like Chinatown busy but with Mexicans and dangerous ones at that. Thats not always the case. Self-styled militias, sometimes fronts for rival criminal groups, other times with great proclivity to slide into many facets of criminality, persist andproliferate as the government looks on. But the violence continues. Cabeza de Vaca has denied the accusations, which he called baseless and politically motivated. She has seen the effects of migrant returns closely because she studies the flow of people in regions such as Ciudad Jurez. It is estimated that more than 70,000 migrants mostly Central Americans, but also Cubans, Venezuelans and other nationalitieswere returned to Mexico by the Trump administration during the implementation of this program in 2019. He asked the guy again to check is pockets and SURPISE SURPRISE, the guy found our passports. Sowing fear among the general population is also a tool for criminal groups, Ochoa told InSight Crime. With fighting between the Gulf Cartel and the Northeast Cartel has beenreportedin Reynosa since 2017, it is likely the recent shootings are connected to this dispute or another of the Gulf Cartels feuds. The risk of fraud is high enough in Reynosa. Occasionally, though, such as in Oaxaca, or Chihuahua City, local governments have succeeded in improving the effectiveness of municipal police forces. Everything indicates that it was not a confrontation, but rather a commando that shot people who were not involved in any conflict, Lpez Obrador said. But the federal government has dramatically cut budgets to both and thus gutted the already often-inadequate local capacities, even though its own 2019 security strategy centered on relying on municipal police for security. Tamaulipas Gov. Local businessman Misael Chavarra Garza said: The people were quiet as if nothing had happened, but with a feeling of anger because now crime has happened to innocent people.. Reynosa is a point of contention between the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas and violent encounters between the two criminal organizations and authorities occur on a regular basis. Those killed included nurses, shopkeepers, taxi drivers, students and construction workers. FollowNBC LatinoonFacebook,TwitterandInstagram. The picture is not good. Security is one of the great challenges facing the government of President Lpez Obrador. I express my solidarity to the families of the innocent victims that died as consequences of these actions of organized crime in Reynosa, the statement said. The president arrived in power with a rhetoric of nonconfrontation with a Hugs, not gunshots slogan that has led to federal forces having a passive presence in certain areas of the country, which has empowered criminal organizations to act more freely, Guerrero said. Add data for Reynosa Crime 0 120 67.78 Crime rates in Reynosa, Mexico Safety in Reynosa, Mexico Contributors: 37 Last update: March 2023 These data are based on perceptions of visitors of this website in the past 3 years. Criminal organizations must receive a clear, explicit and forceful signal from the federal government that there will be no room for impunity, nor tolerance for their reprehensible criminal behavior, said Garca Cabeza de Vaca of the rival National Action party. The attacks took place in several neighborhoods in eastern Reynosa, according to the Tamaulipas state agency that coordinates security forces, and prompted a deployment of the military, national guard and state police across the city. I want to live in a place where I dont feel like my life is in danger. Illegal border crossings in the region jumped 400 percent in the last year, according to the US Border Patrol. In 2014, the Reynosa city government announced the installation of 472 surveillance cameras around the. This major criminal group hasenjoyeda period of stability in northeastern Mexico after theweakeningof the Zetas, its main rival. But Garca Cabeza de Vaca himself is being investigated by the federal prosecutors office for organized crime and money laundering accusations he says are politically motivated. State police found suspects who resisted arrest and shot at them, the statement said, before officers fired back and killed two men and one woman. Tamaulipas - the state where the Zetas cartel arose and where the Gulf Cartel continues to operate - has seen several of its past governors from the Institutional Revolutionary Party accused of corruption and links to organized crime. Cabeza de Vaca also criticized the federal government, urging it to assume its responsibility in combating those who threaten the security, health and stability of Mexican communities, suggesting the pervasive violence in the border state is caused in part by a lack of action from President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador. The Mexican government announced that homicidesdeclined by 3.6% from the previous year to 33,308, just below the 33,739 in 2018 when Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador became president. It is within the northern part of Tamaulipas, Mexico. The State Coordinating Group for Peace Building in Tamaulipas, an agency coordinating security forces and law enforcement, said the attacks began early in the afternoon, when shooters in vehicles attacked several neighborhoods in Reynosa, about 10 miles south of McAllen, Tex. Reynosa, along with other border cities such as Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo, has long been a bastion for the Gulf Cartel. Images posted on social media showed bodies in the streets. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Migrants from El Paso are bussed all the nation but these two cities are where they really want to go. But the violence went on. Terms of Use and Herrera has tirelessly campaigned to help find missing persons across Mexico, inspired by the disappearance of her own sons. Cabeza de Vaca is under an investigation for alleged links to organized crime groups, money laundering and tax evasion, according to the Mexican attorney generals office, which announced in May that the U.S. Justice Department has shared a case file on Cabeza de Vaca. The attacks took place in several neighborhoods in eastern Reynosa, according to the Tamaulipas state agency that coordinates security forces, and sparked a deployment of the military, National Guard and state police across the city. You need to take high-security measures to protect your life and belongings. A faction of one of Mexico's older organized crime groups is doing damage control with a cheap public relations campaign following the kidnapping and murder of US citizens, amid fears of a widespread crackdown. There are dealers on streets with one pant leg rolled up. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of Mexico, as travel by U.S. government employees to certain areas is prohibited or restricted. Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC. This decision means thatU.S. authorities will have to resume the practice of returning asylum-seekers at the border to Mexico,while they wait for their cases to be processed in American immigration courts. Anonymous tips to the C4 federal security control center also helped police find them. June 21, 2021 3:15 AM PT. However, there are a few historical monuments like A Jurez, Hidalgo, and Morelos. Under Calderns successor, Enrique Pea Nieto, the governments rhetoric on crime softened as Mexico sought to shed its reputation as the headquarters of some the worlds most murderous mafia groups. Reynosa, just across the border from the Texas city of McAllen, has long been a stronghold for the Gulf cartel of drug traffickers. Religion and identity meet in Mexico Citys Iztapalapa. In the last two months, Human Rights First helped 69 migrants in Tijuana, in the Mexican state of Baja California, and Piedras Negras, in the state of Coahuila, to apply for humanitarian visas. Reynosa is one of Mexico's most unsafe cities. As my fieldwork showed, in Baja California Sur, Baja California, and Sinaloa, criminal groups, often the Sinaloa Cartel, are muscling their way into new economies,systematically seeking to dominate both legal and illegal fishing, fish processing, and seafood sales along the entire vertical supply chain. So he asked permission to enter a house but my brother and his companions were only about to enter when the vehicles arrived," Ruiz said. "They stopped in front of them and started to shoot.". Source: El Universal (sp), Milenio (sp), ABC Noticias (sp), Vox Populi Noticias (sp), Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC. These clashes have left a bloody trail. Sound like a paid troll for the government. the government's rhetoric on crime softened as Mexico sought to shed its reputation as the headquarters of some the world's most . For tourists is not recommended and dangerous to travel to this city. Yes, I'm willing to do a survey, Copyright 2009-2023 Numbeo. At all levels, police reform has mostly stalled. The attacks may have derived from a dispute between rival groups over territorial control of the area and dominance over illicit operations including drug trafficking and human trafficking, Luis Alberto Rodrguez, the spokesman, told The Washington Post on Sunday. Equipped to transmit images remotely, the cameras were used by criminal groups to monitor the authorities as they conducted raids, patrols and stakeouts around Reynosa. Herrera has tirelessly campaigned to help find missing persons across Mexico, inspired by the disappearance of her own sons. Thanks for contacting us. Federal police continue crackdown with drug dealers. State authorities said Sunday that they are investigating possible motives behind the killings and looking for other shooters. A Salvadoran woman and her 7-year-old son were also allegedly kidnapped in Reynosa. Lpez Obrador has focused on social programs to deal with the roots of crime. At least 14 people died in the Mexican border city of Reynosa on Saturday after a convoy of shooters went on a rampage, authorities said, a somber reminder of the violence that has ravaged the. The majority of industries are related to electronics or automotive manufacturing. They killed him in cold blood, he and two of his companions, said Ruiz, adding that the gunmen arrived where her brother was fixing a drain. Olga Ruiz, whose 19-year-old brother Fernando Ruiz was killed by the gunmen, said he worked as plumber and bricklayer for his stepfather to pay for school, and was fixing an outdoor drain when he was attacked. Apparently, one cell from a nearby town may have entered Reynosa to carry out the attacks. "They heard the gunshots from afar and my stepfather told him: 'son, you have to take shelter.' Fear Shakes Mexico Border City Of Reynosa After Violence Leaves 18 Dead In Reynosa, . But the boys merely paid off or intimidated the hair salons into certifying the boys participation in the training without actually attending it. VFelbabBrown. Lpez Obrador asked federal prosecutors to take over the case and pledged a thorough investigation. Though the motive for the rampage in the northern border city of Reynosa that left scores of civilians dead remains unexplained, security experts point to three possible scenarios: a war within the Gulf Cartel, a political settling of scores, or a mere desire to sow chaos. Mexico's president vowed to investigate the border shootings that left 19 dead over the weekend, even as the latest homicide figures showed . The police are quite corrupt so approach Reynosa with caution. However, the Gulf Cartel has not been able to avoid thefragmentationthat has weakened so many of Mexicos principal criminal groups. One of the Zetas notable splinter groups is the Northeast Cartel, which has steadily gained groundin northeastern Mexico over the last three years and hasaggressively challengedthe control of the Gulf Cartel. Its one of the dangerous cities in Mexico because of ongoing conflicts with gangs. We've received your submission. Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Instead of using force and judicial prosecution, Lpez Obrador seeks to reduce crime in Mexico throughsocio-economic anti-crime programs, part of his overall vastly popular redistribution strategy for Mexicos many poor and marginalized. In addition, the researchers warn about the increase in the number of people living in makeshift camps in cities such as Tijuana, Matamoros and Reynosa, where a camp in the central square of the city houses thousands of migrants. Some of them were located on access roads for international crossings to the United States and highways that connect Reynosa to Monterrey. Authorities say it was an accident. Also, there is an Architectural monument, Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe. President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador said on Monday that evidence indicated that 15 of the victims were innocent bystanders. . One former governor, Toms Yarrington, was extradited to the United States from Italy in 2018 on drug trafficking charges. Drug-related violence in Tamaulipas has decreased in the past few years because of better-trained and better-coordinated police, Guerrero added, but these efforts have not stopped blood from flowing in Reynosa. During the day the town center is busy and cars drive wherever they want theres not like street lines like the US, think of India. Aside from the violence many migrants experience, what is being experienced in the shelters in Ciudad Jurez is thatclose to 20 percent of migrants who are being returned to Mexico after they've sought asylum or tried to enter the U.S. are infected with Covid-19, she said. I begged the head guy to ask around or check cameras because they didnt give it back. He said that despite explaining what he suffered, he was returned to Mexico by U.S. immigration authorities. Reprinted fromInSight Crime. Click here to get an offer for travel insurance. According to her, these actions were not necessarily part of some calculated plan but simply sought to dispel any sense of security among the population. The National Guard, like SEMAR and SEDENA, lacks an investigative authority. Cartels go head to head here and clash with extreme repercussions for residents who aren't part of any gangs. Speaking at a press conference on June 21, President Lpez Obrador blamedarmed commandos for the violence and ordered that an investigation be openedinto the string of shootings in Reynosa that has left at least 19 dead. IE 11 is not supported. Jackson, Michigan, a city of 32,250, had a violent crime rate of 1,094.5, an Axios analysis found. In much of Michoacn, Guerrero, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz, local politics, economics, and much of peoples everyday life is arbitrated by the narcos. One possibility is that [the events in Reynosa] were linked to protecting territory, said Marisol Ochoa, a Tamaulipas security expert at Mexicos Iberoamericana University, in an interview with InSight Crime. A Guatemalan migrant was allegedly raped in Ciudad Jurez, after U.S. authorities returned herto that city with her 5-year-old daughter. By . But the 2021 midterms showed to an unprecedented degree that the criminal groups are no longer satisfied to coopt elected officials. The Mexican governments response remains deeply troubling mostly a hope the criminals will sort it out among themselves. For more than a decade, Mexico has experienced extreme violence linked to organized crime as drug cartels fight over strategic routes to the United States. Yet the dismantling of the Federal Police also led to a profound reduction in the number of investigators and investigative capacity in Mexico by some 70-75%, Mexican lawyers and security officials estimated in conversations with me. Just about any border town just across from the US is trouble. Yorje Prez Moreno traveled thousands of miles from Venezuela to reach Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, leaving his family, friends and studies, as he fled the violence of state security forces who allegedly persecuted him for participating in anti-government protests. As a security official in theTierra Calienteexplained to me, the objective of the deployments of the National Guard or joint patrols is not to fight the criminals, or even to deter them: We send the National Guard in joint patrols with state police or the military to stand on the street. An official website of the United States government. He has assured Mexicans that he is fighting the root causes of the violence and since the beginning of his administration in December 2018, he has advocated hugs, not bullets in dealing with criminals. But what I heard from interlocutors in Mexico wasa most problematic vision of the U.S. Mexico Bicentennial Framework by the Mexican government namely, that the United States should only take care of its own territory by reducing drug demand and retail in the United States and the flows of drug money and weapons to Mexico, while Mexico will do whatever it wants, without U.S. input, in Mexico. Man drives through Florida Pride parade, killing one. Underneath that macro-war, many violent micro-conflicts play out in Mexico, as smaller criminal groups fight over drug, extortion, and other criminal markets and seek to control local politicians and populations. A few hours earlier, the 28-year-old migrant from Honduras, whose name is Jos, had been walking with his son down a street in Reynosa, Mexico, having been turned back at the border by the United .
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