I just read the latest travel warning on the State Department website. IMO, Sandra Dibble excerpted one of the most benign sections of it.
In fact, unless the OP decided to omit it from a larger article that Ms. Dibble wrote, in the same paragraph about the 2013 kidnapping stats are stats
about kidnappings in 2014, with respect to Americans.
Maybe some of you ostriches should read some of the more salient portions:
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Nevertheless, U.S. travelers should be aware that the Mexican government has been engaged in an extensive effort to counter organized criminal groups
that engage in narcotics trafficking and other unlawful activities throughout Mexico. The groups themselves are engaged in a violent struggle to
control drug trafficking routes and other criminal activity. Crime and violence are serious problems and can occur anywhere. U.S. citizens have
fallen victim to criminal activity, including homicide, gun battles, kidnapping, carjacking, and highway robbery. While many of those killed in
organized crime-related violence have themselves been involved in criminal activity, innocent persons have also been killed. The number of U.S.
citizens reported to the Department of State as murdered in Mexico was 81 in 2013 and 85 in 2014 to date.
Gun battles between rival criminal organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place in towns and cities in many parts of Mexico. Gun
battles have occurred in broad daylight on streets and in other public venues, such as restaurants and clubs. During some of these incidents, U.S.
citizens have been trapped and temporarily prevented from leaving the area. Criminal organizations have used stolen cars, buses, and trucks to create
roadblocks on major thoroughfares, preventing the military and police from responding to criminal activity. The location and timing of future armed
engagements is unpredictable. We recommend that you defer travel to the areas specifically identified in this Travel Warning and exercise extreme
caution when traveling throughout the other areas for which advisories are in effect.
The number of kidnappings throughout Mexico is of particular concern and appears to be on the rise. According to statistics published by the Mexican
Secretaria de Gobernacion (SEGOB), in 2013 kidnappings nationwide increased 20 percent over the previous year. While kidnappings can occur anywhere,
according to SEGOB, during this timeframe, the states with the highest numbers of kidnappings were Tamaulipas, Guerrero, Michoacán, Estado de Mexico,
and Morelos. Additionally, according to a widely publicized study by the agency responsible for national statistics (INEGI, the National Institute of
Statistics and Geography), Mexico suffered an estimated 105,682 kidnappings in 2012; only 1,317 were reported to the police. Police have been
implicated in some of these incidents. Both local and expatriate communities have been victimized. More than 130 kidnappings of U.S. citizens were
reported to the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Mexico between January and November of 2014.
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I think it is the State Department's job to inform us of these kinds of things so we can make informed decisions about when and where we travel.
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