Two women killed: Ages 82 and 72
Troubling news out of Mexico last week: Two women dead; one still missing.
A friend sent me a text last Tuesday to say that his wife had to go to a business meeting in Reynosa that evening and she still wasn’t home.
This was about 10:30 p.m.
“No sleep tonight,” he wrote.
I sent him a text the next morning to see if she got home okay.
“Yes, super late,” he wrote back, “12:10 a.m.”
Told him I hoped she never had to make that trip again. These days, Reynosa is too dangerous for Americans driving a vehicle with Texas plates, or any U.S. state plate for that matter. Presumably even more so for a woman traveling alone at night.
The Tamaulipas governor’s office downplays the risks to Americans and so does the federal government in Mexico City, but the reality is what it is. The new Mexico is nothing like the old Mexico we all used to know and love.
In fact, last month, the Associated Press reported that approximately 600 Mexicans — men, women, children, and the elderly — had crossed the southern Mexican state of Chiapas into Guatemala to escape drug cartel violence.
Put It In Perspective
Last month, July 11, the U.S. Department of State’s Travel Advisory for Tamaulipas was and still is at Level 4, its highest ranking in terms of danger and risk, which ranks between 1 and 4: Four, being the ranking of most concern, carries with it this clear warning:
“Do Not Travel due to crime and kidnappings.”
As of this past June, six states in Mexico had a Level 4 ranking: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.
Many Mexican government officials won’t agree with that assessment, but to put that in perspective, context, some of the countries (areas) that also have a Level 4 Travel Advisory include: The Gaza Strip, Venezuela, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, Haiti, North Korea, Syria, Libya, and Ukraine. (Source: azcentral.com).
The Tamaulipas risk, said the U.S. State advisory, was most pronounced for Americans traveling by Omnibus buses departing south from the main Reynosa bus terminal. Kidnappers were specifically targeting passengers with connections to the United States, including U.S. citizens and residents, read the State’s Travel Advisory.
Victims were reporting that their belongings and documents were stolen, bank accounts emptied, and their families were forced to pay ransoms of thousands of dollars for each victim.
This month, more of the same from the U.S. Department of State:
Do Not Travel due to crime and kidnapping.
The State Department spells out the dangers:
“Organized crime activity – including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault – is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria. Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments.”
Meaning, don’t travel south of the border if you can help it.
More from State:
“Heavily armed members of criminal groups often patrol areas of the state and operate with impunity particularly along the border region from Reynosa to Nuevo Laredo. In these areas, local law enforcement has limited capacity to respond to incidents of crime. Law enforcement capacity is greater in the tri-city area of Tampico, Ciudad Madero, and Altamira, which has a lower rate of violent criminal activity compared to the rest of the state.”
If you or a family member are a victim of a kidnapping in Reynosa, call the FBI McAllen Field Office at (956) 984-6300.
Two Dead; One Missing
This month seems to be no better than July.
According to a story published Aug. 19 in Breitbart. com, written by Ildefonso “Poncho” Ortiz and Brandon Darby:
“Authorities in Mexico confirmed the disappearance of a U.S. citizen from Iowa who had been missing for several days after crossing the border. The disappearance comes at a time when government officials continue to claim that security conditions have been improving. However, criminal organizations like the Gulf Cartel can operate with almost complete impunity.”
The missing woman is from Iowa, according to the story:
“According to information released by the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office (FGJ), 51-year-old Chris Leguisano crossed into Reynosa on Aug. 9 through a land port of entry and has not been seen since.”
West of the RGV, according to a Reuters story published Aug. 24, two women from Arizona, ages 72 and 82, were shot dead in a vehicle found along a highway in Mexico’s northern state of Sonora.
The women were of dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship and were discovered in an overturned mid-size SUV.
According to the Reuters story, “National Guard and army officers responding to the incident found a navy blue Ford F-150 in the vicinity that had been reported stolen as well as an AK-47 and ammunition, prosecutors said.”