U.S. and Mexican officials in Tijuana say a recent travel alert for Mexico should not keep tourists from visiting the city. KPBS reporter Amy Isackson has the story.
The U.S. State Department's new travel alert warns people about a recent spate of violence tied to drug trafficking in Tijuana and other border cities.
The department says people should use caution when visiting the region.
The alert also says dozens of U.S. citizens were murdered or kidnapped in Tijuana last year.
Luis Humberto Lopez directs U.S. affairs for the Baja California Attorney General's office.
He says American tourists are not the targets.
Lopez : There's a very specific phenomenon that goes on in border towns. There’s a lot of dual citizens. People living in Tijuana and going across into San Diego and people who are living in the U.S. and are coming into Mexico to do business.
Lopez says all the Americans who were murdered in Baja last year held dual Mexican and American citizenship.
A U.S. consular spokesman in Tijuana say most of the 22 Americans who were kidnapped in Baja live in Mexico.
He says no one has been targeted because of their U.S. citizenship.
Amy Isackson, KPBS News.
