
Mexico’s worsening instability is placing American lives at risk, as the U.S. consulate issues an emergency travel warning for Tamaulipas. The advisory, classified as “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” comes as cartel violence in the region escalates to unprecedented levels, with reports of gunfights, abductions and explosives being planted along major routes.
With security deteriorating, U.S. officials have restricted government personnel from traveling in Reynosa and Rio Bravo at night, warning them to stick to main roads and avoid remote areas. American travelers have been urged to take similar precautions, as the U.S. government has little ability to assist those caught in the violence.
While the US accelerates deportations of people into Mexico's violent border state of Tamaulipas, the US consulate in Matamoros issues a travel warning, citing "increasingly frequent gun battles" and Iraq war-style "improvised explosive devices."https://t.co/DN2ehAQeh4 pic.twitter.com/bj2YFAkQSR
— Adam Isacson (@adam_wola) January 28, 2025
The crisis is now claiming American victims on U.S. soil. In California, a hiker was shot in the Jacumba Mountains when a group of suspected cartel gunmen opened fire on a dozen hikers near the Moon Valley Trailhead. The wounded hiker had to be airlifted to safety, while the shooters fled back into Mexico, exploiting an unprotected section of the border.
The U.S. State Department has issued the highest-level travel warning for some Mexican towns next to the U.S.–Mexico border due to elevated risks over kidnappings, gun battles, and improvised explosives devices (IEDs).
A bulletin released by the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in…
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) January 28, 2025
Meanwhile, in Texas, Border Patrol agents engaged in a shootout with cartel members in the Rio Grande Valley after gunmen opened fire from across the river. The agents returned fire, forcing the attackers to retreat, but the incident highlights how emboldened these criminal organizations have become in challenging U.S. law enforcement directly.
We need to get all our people out of Mexico and start moving personnel and gear down to the border in prep for war.
Time to stop playing!US consulate warns of gun battles, IEDs, kidnappings in Mexican border towns near Texashttps://t.co/djaEJBmJWx
— 🍊Big Maga Dave🍊 (@daverich503) January 28, 2025
The situation in Mexico is deteriorating rapidly, with a suspiciously high number of political assassinations taking place during the last election cycle. Candidates who posed a threat to cartel control were targeted, further solidifying the influence of these criminal networks over the Mexican government.
🚨Alert: War with Mexican Cartels is Coming!! United States Consulate General in Matamoros has issued Level 4 Alert – Do Not Travel in the following locations: Reynosa, Rio Bravo, Valle Hermoso, San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico” @USCGMatamoros
The report also highlights… pic.twitter.com/VR7w6zhc9A
— US Homeland Security News (@defense_civil25) January 28, 2025
With cartel violence now reaching American soil, many are questioning how long the United States can stand by while a failed state collapses at its doorstep. The question of intervention is becoming harder to ignore as the crisis escalates.