Why has the US issued a ‘terrorism' travel alert for Mexico?

Al Jazeera

a day ago

The US State Department has issued an updated travel warning for Americans visiting Mexico, citing risks of 'terrorism, crime, and kidnapping'.
The move follows months of intense pressure from President Donald Trump over issues such as immigration and the activities of criminal gangs involved in drug smuggling and human trafficking.
Here is what we know:
What happened?
On Tuesday, the United States government issued a new travel alert for Mexico, warning of 'terrorist' violence in 30 of its 32 states. It's the first time Washington has ever sounded the alarm on Mexico for terrorism risk.
The advisory paints a grim picture: soaring rates of homicide, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery, alongside a new warning of possible terrorist attacks and terrorist violence.
'There is a risk of terrorist violence, including attacks and related activities,' it warned, urging Americans to take precautions. The travel alert was raised to Level 2 – 'exercise increased caution' on a scale of four levels.
Which places did the US warn about and why?
The alert warns Americans not to travel to Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas provinces due to 'terrorism, violent crime, and kidnapping.' These states are marked red on the map and classified as Level 4 — the most unsafe, per the US.
Travellers are advised to reconsider visiting Baja California, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, and Sonora for the same reasons; these appear in orange and are rated Level 3, or marginally safer.
Another 16 states – including Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Quintana Roo, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Morelos, Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, Durango, Hidalgo, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz – fall under 'exercise increased caution'. While there are no outright travel bans, the advisory notes that both violent and non-violent crimes are common. These areas are shown in yellow and are listed under Level 2.
Only Yucatan and Campeche remain at Level 1, the lowest risk level, highlighted in blue.
What is the backdrop for this advisory?
According to experts, these actions follow increased pressure from Trump, which has prompted the Mexican government to take a range of measures.
Earlier this week, Mexico extradited 26 alleged cartel members to the US, in what appeared to be an effort to ease Trump's demands for stronger action against fentanyl smuggling and organised crime.
In a statement, the US embassy said those extradited included key figures from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, Mexico's two most powerful organised crime groups.
We recognize @GabSeguridadMX for its dedication and commitment. This action reflects the strength of our bilateral cooperation as sovereign partners and our shared commitment to ensure our people's security and well being. https://t.co/XbuqLNtmNK
— Embajador Ronald Johnson (@USAmbMex) August 13, 2025
This marks the second mass transfer of the year; in February, Mexican authorities sent 29 alleged cartel leaders to the US, a move that stirred debate over its political and legal merits.
Among them was Caro Quintero, a founding member of the Guadalajara Cartel, accused of murdering DEA agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena in 1985.
US officials had requested the extraditions, pledging not to seek the death penalty. Mexico described the suspects as high-risk criminals tied to drug trafficking and other serious offences.
While extraditions are not uncommon, they are typically carried out in ones and twos. But this year alone, Mexico has already handed over 55 people.
The transfers follow months of US pressure, reinforced by tariff threats, and reports that Trump directed the Pentagon to consider military action against Latin American cartels.
According to those reports, the order would permit direct military operations on foreign soil and in corresponding territorial waters against organised criminal groups. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has said the US and Mexico are close to finalising a security agreement to boost cooperation against cartels, but she has firmly rejected the idea of unilateral US military operations on Mexican soil.
How has Mexico responded to the new alert?
Sheinbaum downplayed the updated travel advisory. She argued the change stems from Washington's decision to label cartels as terrorist organisations – done through an executive order earlier this year – rather than from any new security reality.
Sheinbaum stressed that Mexico remains the top destination for US travellers, with about a million Americans living in the country, and noted that popular areas such as the Southeast, Baja California Peninsula, Pacific coast, and Mexico City continue to attract visitors despite the warning.
How bad is Mexico's violence problem?
Bad, but it's improving.
According to a 2024 report from Human Rights Watch, violent crime in Mexico has risen sharply since the government began its 'war' on organised crime in 2006.
However, this year, Sheinbaum can report a 25.3 percent drop in daily homicides over her first 11 months in office, from 86.9 per day in September 2023 to 64.9 now – the lowest monthly figures since 2015.
While Mexico remains one of the world's most violent countries, the decline is seen as a significant improvement, credited to her administration's security strategy, but also US pressure.
When Trump took office, he quickly warned Mexico that it had to show real progress in stopping the flow of fentanyl, a drug that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, or face steep trade tariffs. He promised to push Mexico harder to curb drug trafficking and illegal migration, making it clear there would be serious economic consequences if it didn't act.
In Sheinbaum's first year in office, authorities have seized more than 3.5 million fentanyl pills and arrested at least 29,000 suspects, including high-level cartel leaders with local and national reach. Security chief Omar Garcia Harfuch credited the success to the crucial work of specialised intelligence and investigative units.
However, in places like Sinaloa, the bloodshed escalated sharply after the arrests of major figures, including Ismael Zambada, the leader of the Sinaloa cartel, in August 2024.
During the first six months of this year, authorities recorded 883 homicides in the state, up from just 224 in the same period last year, with most killings concentrated in Culiacan.
The violence may be only part of the toll. Since Zambada's arrest, more than 1,500 people have gone missing in Sinaloa. Security officials believe criminal groups are behind many of these disappearances, suggesting the real cost of the crackdown could be even higher.
Zambada, one of Mexico's most notorious accused drug lords, was captured at an airfield near El Paso, Texas, alongside Ovidio Guzman, a son of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman – the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who is serving a life sentence in a US prison. Zambada claims Guzman Lopez kidnapped him and handed him over to US authorities.