WASHINGTON, April 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department has issued a travel alert for Mexico because of a spike in drug-related violence in several border cities.
The alert issued Monday says U.S. citizens visiting or living in Mexico should be on their toes and avoid potentially dicey situations and areas with a potential for sudden and violent clashes between drug cartel gunmen and authorities.
"The situation in northern Mexico remains very fluid," the advisory said. "The location and timing of future armed engagements there cannot be predicted."
The advisory also warned of a rash of kidnappings and assaults on Americans in the Tijuana and Juarez areas.
The Las Cruces Sun-News said that while U.S. citizens are not officially being told to stay out of Mexico, local authorities are seeing a drop in the number of tourists crossing the border.
