Law enforcement officials say gunmen aboard a number of vehicles have staged attacks in several neighborhoods in the Mexican border city of Reynosa. For Emergency Assistance for U.S. citizens in Mexico, call (55) 868 206 1076 from Mexico or 1-844-528-6611 from the United States. Thanks for putting this information together. Unaccompanied minors from. The reduction is not fundamentally due to improved security policies. His administration has given SEDENA and SEMAR responsibilities for custom collection and awarded them contracts for buildingairports,luxury apartments, and presumed critical infrastructure (sometimes foolishly environmentally-damaging infrastructure like theMayan Train), while promising toexempt them from all kinds of oversight. Adams migrant plea: Letters to the Editor April 29, 2023, Border Patrol using cellphones to process migrants in overwhelmed South Texas. 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. But the violence continues. For tourists is not recommended and dangerous to travel to this city. Victoria Dittmar is a writer with InSight Crime, a foundation dedicated to the study of organized crime. Crime in Reynosa, Mexico Compare Reynosa with: Do you live in Reynosa? 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. (modern). President: 15 victims were innocent bystanders in Reynosa, Other four were suspected gunmen who fired indiscriminately. 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. Reynosa, a city of 600,000 people, is a hotspot for cartel violence. Tamaulipas Gov. 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. Lpez Obrador has cut budgets and personnel to many Mexican institutions and left them with minimal regulatory, oversight, and minimal capacities. Those killed included nurses, shopkeepers, taxi drivers, students and construction workers. As Reynosa has undergone a recent period of relative stability without many violent acts of this magnitude, an armed group may have been seeking to create conflict. 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. 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. By . 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. the government's rhetoric on crime softened as Mexico sought to shed its reputation as the headquarters of some the world's most . Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC. 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. Who is Mara Herrera, Mexicos madre buscadora who made it onto the Time 100 list? I stayed with him in a concrete buildings, no windows, bullet holes sprayed everywhere..pretty much all the building. Herrera has tirelessly campaigned to help find missing persons across Mexico, inspired by the disappearance of her own sons. Images posted on social media showed bodies in the streets. There are not that many historical things in Reynosa to see. This city across the border from McAllen, Texas, is a key trafficking point, and has long been accustomed to cartel violence. On Saturday, authorities detained a person who was transporting two apparently kidnapped women in the trunk of a car. 2021 7:46 AM ET. 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. They stopped in front of them and started to shoot.. In any case, the city is quite strongly controlled by cartels and the presence of tourists in it can be quite unsafe. 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. Mexico now suffers an average of about 96 murders per day, with nearly 29,000 people killed since Amlo took office. Two women who had allegedly been kidnapped by the gunmen were rescued. Had 0 problems other than a hater hating on my looks and flooding on my last day there. It was a Saturday, around 12:30 p.m. local time, when a caravan of three vehicles loaded with well-armed men and at least one woman began a violent rampage through Reynosa, a Mexican city of about 700,000 people that borders McAllen, Texas, and serves as an important hub for numerous criminal groups. Several of the past governors of the state of Tamaulipas have been accused of corruption and links to organized crime. Security Alert U.S. Consulate General Matamoros, Mexico (June 25, 2021). The attacks in Reynosa, which sits on the Mexico-U.S. border in the state of Tamaulipas, took place in under two hours on Saturday, with people seemingly targeted at random by gunmen traveling in vans, according to local media outlet Elefante Blanco. 10 people, including nine children, die in fiery car crash as storm batters Southeast, Mexicos Lpez Obrador loses some of his Teflon in midterm elections, Essential reporting from around the world, Attacks in Mexican border city kill at least 14 people. Reynosa, just across the border from the Texas city of McAllen, has long been a stronghold for the Gulf cartel of drug traffickers. Olga Ruiz, whose 19-year-old brother Fernando was killed by the gunmen, said her sibling was working as a plumber and bricklayer to pay for his studies. Unaccompanied minors from Central America wait to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Roma, Texas, on July 30, 2021. Amlo also pledged to chair daily 6am security meetings and create a 60,000 strong "National Guard". In much of Michoacn, Guerrero, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz, local politics, economics, and much of peoples everyday life is arbitrated by the narcos. Lpez Obrador, or Amlo as most call him, vowed to attack the social roots of crime,offering vocational trainingto more than 2.3 million disadvantaged young people at risk of being ensnared by the cartels. In a joint operation, the Mexican army and state police fanned out across the city to find the attackers, according to a statement from the agency. Criminal organizations should receive a clear, explicit and stern signal from the federal government that there will be no space for impunity, nor tolerance facing criminal conduct, the governors statement added. "In my government there will be no truce for the violent.". People on the streets just sitting there when you first cross border. Images posted on social media showed bodies in the streets. Read all the Order from Chaos content, Nonstate armed actors and illicit economies in 2022, declined by 3.6% from the previous year to 33,308, U.S.-Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communities, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Drug Trafficking & Counter-Narcotics Policy, The nexus between the illicit narcotics trade and corruption, The travails of the US-Mexico High-Level Security Dialogue, Criminal violence, politics, and state capture in Michoacn, South Korean-American pie: Unpacking the US-South Korea summit, Germanys China dilemma takes on a new urgency, Americans show signs of impatience with Ukraine war. If you are a U.S. citizen traveling to, or residing in Mexico, enroll in the. 2023 Copyright by Travel Safe - Abroad. The other four dead were suspected gunmen from a group that drove into the northern border city of Reynosa and opened fire indiscriminately. 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. InSight Crime sat down with Marisol Ochoa, a researcher and expert on criminal dynamics from Mexico's Ibero-American University, to understand how the situation deteriorated. An investigation by Human Rights First compiled thousands of attacks against migrants and asylum-seekers, including kidnapping, extortion, human trafficking and rape. 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It is not safe for single traveling women to be in this city. President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador said on Monday that evidence indicated that 15 of the victims were innocent bystanders. 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. 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. 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. Something that moved us a lot was thatshe told us that she never imagined that the violence and discrimination from which she had been fleeing would accompany her to the border, Ortega said. All the people tell you that the cartels impose the rules, the narco is the law, Prez Moreno said with dismay. Religion and identity meet in Mexico Citys Iztapalapa, A quick guide to Mexico Citys many Pueblos Mgicos, 6 national banks join forces to offer commission-free ATMs, US brings charges against Sinaloa Cartel, including Los Chapitos, Reform allowing state-owned airline passes in Chamber of Deputies. Under the Mrida Initiative, the U.S. often provided the crucial and only anti-corruption, anti-collusion oversight in Mexicos security strategiesand tactical operations as well as a stimulus and reinforcement to Mexicos will to take on criminal groups and the lack of rule of law. 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. 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. IE 11 is not supported. 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. He also says he is fighting corruption to stop the infiltration of organized crime among authorities. In 2014, the Reynosa city government announced the installation of 472 surveillance cameras around the. 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. Most places close by 10 p.m., and after that, the military can stop you and searches after that time are common. Eagle Pass, a city of 29,500, had a violent crime rate of 179.6 per 100,000 people. shares Though the motive for the rampage in the northern border city of Reynosa that left scores of civilians dead remains. Mayorkas tells migrants: Dont break the law! At the end of June, the organization published a report in which it registered3,300 violent incidents, so the new figure shows a 95 percent increase in these attacks. Mexico; Local News; Immigration/Border Wall . 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. but with a feeling of anger because now crime has happened to innocent people." And from theSembrando Vidaprogram to grow fruit trees to vocational programs for youth at-risk of succumbing to criminality, these Lpez Obrador administration programs have been riddled with problems. Guerrero has identified more than 210 cartels, gangs and regional bands operating across the country, of which 13 are in Tamaulipas. 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. Mexicos war on drugs began in late 2006 when the president at the time, Felipe Caldern, ordered thousands of troops onto the streets in response to an explosion of horrific violence in his native state of Michoacn. Local businessman Misael Chavarria Garza said many businesses closed early Saturday after the attacks and people were very scared as helicopters flew overhead. How much safer do you feel in Mexico City now compared to years ago. She has seen the effects of migrant returns closely because she studies the flow of people in regions such as Ciudad Jurez. A Salvadoran woman and her 7-year-old son were also allegedly kidnapped in Reynosa. "It's not fair," said taxi driver Rene Guevara, adding that among the dead were two of his fellow taxi drivers whom he defended and said were not involved in crime. You DO NOT look at military vehicles because you dont know if they are military or cartel. 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. It gives very good risk indicators for many topics and what tourists should check out in the area. In 2014, the Reynosa city government announced the installation of 472 surveillance cameras around the city. There has been a major increase in bad behaviour within the city, where violence has long been prevalent. 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. The cameras, presumably placed by criminal groups, were disguised as payphones, electricity meters and streetlights. If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, it means it is perceived as very high. Some of them were located on access roads for international crossings to the United States and highways that connect Reynosa to Monterrey. They heard the gunshots from afar and my stepfather told him: Son, you have to take shelter,' she said. The Gulf, Northeast and Jalisco cartels are fighting for control over Tamaulipass lucrative drug and arms trafficking routes to and from the United States. But the size of the decline is just noise in the tempo of Mexicos criminal violence. Research data reveals that89 percent of people from the LGBTQ community who participated in the surveys were attackedor received threats recently. 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. A version of this story was first published in Noticias Telemundo. The level of crimes in here is high. The city is controlled by cartels, the police are corrupt. Its not necessarily clear what settling of scores may have taken place here, said Ochoa. Those killed included nurses, shopkeepers, taxi drivers, students and construction workers. Their ebb and flow largely reflect choices and tit-for-tat responses by criminal groups toward one another. The document is based on interviews with asylum-seekers, surveys applied to migrants, press reports and information provided by lawyers and humanitarian aid groups. Terms of Use and 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. However, the Gulf Cartel has not been able to avoid thefragmentationthat has weakened so many of Mexicos principal criminal groups. "It's no longer between the cartels; they are attacking the public," said activist Angelica Orozco. I have been to Reynosa I am a single woman that drove to see my friend at border. The border agents on Mexican side stole our passports when coming back into us. San Diego and Tijuana: a vanishing border? The community is across from Reynosa, Mexico, one of the most dangerous places in the Americas due to cartel violence. Skirmishes of drug gangs often occur in the city, because of this, shootings are possible. Its like Chinatown busy but with Mexicans and dangerous ones at that. Softened mining regulation reform advances to Senate. House robberies, hijacking, and theft are quite common in the city. Instead of police reform, Lpez Obrador has intensified militarization of public life in Mexico not just in security, but also in the economic domain. I showed up at 10pm and the border agents did not want me to cross they were in fear for me as were my friends from Mexico. State authorities said Sunday that they are investigating possible motives behind the killings and looking for other shooters. I was there and my friends family lives there. Four suspects also died, he said. In October and November, I spent several weeks in various parts of Mexico researching the evolution of crime and security policies. Now they seek to influence with violence and money who can run and win to begin with. 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. Ochoa also suggested to InSight Crime that the violent rampage could have been due to a third, simpler option. Authorities have not provided a motive or explanation for the attacks. The number of immigrants is growing here. Reynosa is one of the dangerous cities in Mexico because of ongoing conflicts with gangs. 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. Some of its members were tied to the brutal January 2021 massacre of 19 people near the US-Mexico border. The 2022 outlook for both the rule of law and public safety in Mexico and meaningful U.S.-Mexico security cooperation remains bleak, writes Vanda Felbab-Brown as she discusses her findings from recently spending several weeks in various parts of Mexico researching the evolution of crime and security policies. However, there are a few historical monuments like A Jurez, Hidalgo, and Morelos. Due to ongoing conflict between Gulf Cartels, it is one of the most dangerous places in Mexico with thousands killed annually. On Sunday, he said "the people were quiet as if nothing had happened, but with a feeling of anger because now crime has happened to innocent people.". 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. See Mexico Travel Advisory for details. Seeing them with arms and trucks gives people confidence. Well, it didnt to the local people with whom I had a chance to speak. The investigation was released as the U.S. Supreme Court denied the Biden administrations request to pause the implementation of the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy. He asked the guy again to check is pockets and SURPISE SURPRISE, the guy found our passports. A Honduran woman, a member of the LGBTQ community, told investigators that she was raped and assaulted in Ciudad Acua, a Mexican town on the border with Del Rio, Texas. Both the boys and their hairdresser trainers pocketed the government money and went about their lives, criminal or otherwise, as before. 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. Three sport-utility vehicles and one long gun were found at the scene. These data are based on perceptions of visitors of this website in the past 3 years. 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. There are dealers on streets with one pant leg rolled up. 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 rise and violent demise of pro-Russian war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, Ukraine live briefing: Russia blames Ukraine for drone attack on Crimea fuel depot, Britons asked to swear oath to Charles III from couch, a royal first. Mexicos law-enforcement forces still lack incapacitation and deterrence capacities. Mexico's president vowed to investigate the border shootings that left 19 dead over the weekend, even as the latest homicide figures showed . They stopped in front of them and started to shoot.. Authorities say it was an accident. Travel to this region is not recommended. In October and November, I spent several . 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. 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. Brazen homicides persist at unacceptable levels. 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. Country Summary: Violent crime - such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery - is widespread and common in Mexico. In my government there will be no truce for the violent.. Lpez Obrador has focused on social programs to deal with the roots of crime. You need to closely monitor your things, especially in crowded places. 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. 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. Reprinted fromInSight Crime. As Mexicos military went on the offensive, the body count sky-rocketed to new heights and tens of thousands were forced from their homes, disappeared or killed. Religion and identity meet in Mexico Citys Iztapalapa. Recently, they have diversified into an array of other illegal activities. Do you live in Reynosa? FollowNBC LatinoonFacebook,TwitterandInstagram. Security is one of the great challenges facing the government of President Lpez Obrador. Four armed men presumed to have been among those carrying out the violence died in a shootout with authorities, Elefante Blancoreported. 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 . My dream was to finish college, but they wouldnt let me. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Pedestrians on the streets should be very careful while crossing the road: drivers usually do not really look around, and especially on pedestrians. Saturdays attacks come amid scandals that threaten to oust the governor. Areas of violent contestation, such as Zacatecas or San Luis Potos, can become almost anarchical with violence. Reynosa is a city, located directly across the Rio Grande from the US border. Reynosa is full of immigrants, they are becoming more and more here, as they are trying to return to the United States, but in most cases, they are returned to this city. 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. "Since most people do not make complaints to the authorities, webelieve that this is a minimal figure of what is happening at the border, Ana Ortega Villegas, a lawyer and researcher at Human Rights First, said in an interview with Noticias Telemundo. An Indigenous man from Honduras reported that he was kidnapped and separated from his 5-year-old son after being expelled to Reynosa, Mexico. He also says he is fighting corruption to stop the infiltration of organized crime among authorities. Details of what bilateral cooperation will be preserved are supposed to emerge from the U.S.-Mexico working groups this month. Youre not from here. Today, we cannot speak of just one Gulf Cartel faction at the border, they dont operate in a cohesive manner there are various groups, Correa-Cabrera told InSight Crime. VFelbabBrown. The disappearances, and last week's shooting of 15 apparently innocent bystanders in Reynosa, suggest Mexico is returning to the dark days of the 2006-2012 drug war when cartel gunmen often targeted the general public as well as one another. The borough's Holy Week passion play the oldest, most elaborate and best-known in the country celebrated its 180th edition this year. But a year later, the gangs had destroyed 100 of them, of which the government was only able to reinstall 40%. 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. 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. Criminal gangs in Reynosa are also known to destroy cameras placed by the authorities. , burnley express public notices, why did china become communist quizlet,
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