For the fifth straight year, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning for Americans going to Mexico. But this warning is more strongly worded and suggests that in some parts of Mexico, Americans are being targeted.
Friday's warning is partly based on the growing number of American citizens murdered in Mexico. The death toll jumped from 35 up to 110 last year.
The warning also includes specific parts of Mexican states familiar to many American travelers. The State Department warns against going to Tamaulipas and Michoacán unless absolutely necessary. But it also warns against parts of the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and Jalisco.
It warns that bandits are targeting dark colored SUVs with US license plates.
Travelers are warned to use extreme caution in cities like Cd. Juárez and Acapulco. But they're also warned to be careful in Nogales, and Rocky Point, the popular border beach town. Tijuana, they warn, is of particular concern at night.
In Tucson, I'm Michel Marizco.
