ACAPULCO, Mexico, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. citizens are being urged to avoid non-essential travel to the popular destination of Acapulco because of ongoing protests and violence linked to the disappearance of 43 students in the state of Guerrero.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has issued a message saying that all of its personnel have been told to defer non-essential travel by air and land to Acapulco and that road travel in all parts of Guerrero state is prohibited.
"The Embassy cautions U.S. citizens to follow the same guidelines," the message says.
A portion of Mexico City was virtually shut down on Thursday after protesters confronted riot police during a demonstration organized, in part, because of frustration with the government's response to the September disappearance of the 43 university students in the state of Guerrero.
Anger has been especially virulent because the disappearances have been linked to complicity among the local government, police and a notorious drug gang.
More than 70 people have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of the students, mostly local police, along with former Iguala Mayor José Luis Abarca and his wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda, considered to be the "masterminds." A member of the Guerreros Unidos drug gang has confessed to his role in killing the students, burning their bodies and dumping their ashes in a river on the request of local police.
In other recent incidents, protesters have shut down highways, burned a main government building, shut down Acapulco's airport and set fire to the front door of Mexico's National Palace.
Beyond the outrage over the students, many in Mexico have expressed anger at President Enrique Peña Nieto because of his efforts to reform education; the timing of his trip to China for the APEC summit; and revelations about the worth of his family's private residence in Lomas de Chapultepec.
