CNN
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Mexico is a safer country than the United States, Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador said on Monday, a few weeks later. high-profile kidnapping of four Americans drew the world’s attention to the security crisis in the country.
“Mexico is safer than the US. No problem to travel safely in Mexico. This is something that US citizens know as well as our fellow Mexicans living in the US,” he said during his daily morning press briefing.
The abducted Americans were traveling through the Mexican border town of Matamoros in early March when they were attacked by militants believed to be linked to the Gulf Cartel. The incident killed two Americans and a passerby from Mexico.
On Friday, the Texas Department of Public Safety advised residents to avoid traveling to Mexico during spring break, citing the risk of cartel violence.
Asked by a local reporter about security in Mexico, López Obrador quoted popularity of the country among American tourists and expats, which have descended in recent years to popular coastal areas as well as Mexico City to take advantage of the warmer weather and cheaper cost of living. Travelers from the United States bring billions of dollars in revenue to Mexico every year.
“The US government advises that it is safe to travel alone. [in the states of] Campeche and Yucatan. If that were the case, then so many Americans would not come to live in Mexico City and the rest of the country. More Americans have moved to Mexico in the last few years. So what’s going on? Why paranoia?
The Mexican President also stated that Mexico was being “campaigned by conservative US politicians who do not want this country to continue to develop for the benefit of the Mexican people.”
While some parts of Mexico are recognized tourist destinations, violent crime, including kidnapping and human trafficking, plagues parts of the country, especially in the border areas. Mexico as a whole murder rate is one of the highest in the world and the country was concerned Disappearance epidemic over 100,000 Mexicans and migrants are still missing.
Accusations of inaction and corruption by Mexican officials also damaged public confidence; last year Mexican government report blamed the country’s own armed forces and police for the infamous disappearance of 43 students in 2014.
The US State Department has “don’t travel” the recommendations apply to six of Mexico’s 32 states, including the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, where Matamoros is located. He warns Americans to “reconsider travel” to seven Mexican states and to “exercise extra caution” in 17 states.
Canada and the UK also have detailed travel warnings for Mexico.
Six people have been arrested in connection with the case. deadly kidnapping Matamorosand Mexico sent hundreds of security forces to the area in what the Defense Department called a measure to protect the “welfare of citizens.”
But the incident also sparked ongoing tensions between the Mexican president and US officials.
Last week Sept. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, where the victims of the Matamoros attack are from, said he plans to pass a law defining cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and allow the US military to operate in Mexico to dismantle drug laboratories. which are usually run by such criminal organizations.
López Obrador described the notion as “an insult to the people of Mexico” and “disrespect for our independence”.
“We are not a protectorate of the United States, nor a colony of the United States. Mexico is a free, independent, sovereign country. We are not subordinate to anyone,” said Lopez Obrador at a press conference.