2 Americans dead+2 rescued in Mexican cartel crossfire, mistaken as Haitian smugglers

[Vermillion]

 

[GhostBox]

This is very sad. I wish Americans would take serious the do not travel warnings for these areas 😢

[Protocol]

I know a lot of Americans and Canadians who love spending time in Mexico. I left Latin America because it's so unsafe so I'm just like.... lol. I'd rather pay more for a flight and go to Spain.

[Power love]

Is Mexico not safe too travel?

[Vermillion]

The video that's since been widely dispersed on social media of the kidnapping IS in fact real.

 

I needed to verify it from an official source and apparently VICE News is confirming the video is real that's gotten a lot of international attention.

 

The tweet of the original account that was re-posted by them is now in the updated OP.

[Taste of Honey]

19 minutes ago, Power love said:

Is Mexico not safe too travel?

Depends on where you go and what you do, much like anywhere else in the world. Matamoros, in particular, doesn’t have the best reputation. 

[Vermillion]

11 minutes ago, Power love said:

Is Mexico not safe to travel?

Generalizations are not helpful for a region in such dire need of tourism dollars but accusations of xenophobia are bit hair-trigger around here. Nor are discussions of U.S. involvement in Central and South America (especially in the 1970's) helpful in the short-term for those being affected now in the region. Longer-term, sure. Not speaking of you specifically, just speaking generally. All that said, I've always felt the drug war was lost a long time ago.

 

Regardless, here's a link to the current color-coded State Department map as I'm having trouble with the image transfer at the moment.

https://travelmaps.state.gov/TSGMap/?extent=-124.207939566,14.44327709,-84.313397286,33.446969624

 

The region of the kidnapping is literally in red as it has been for weeks due to current daily gun battles between several gangs of warring cartels. 

 

 

[Communion]

"crossed border for medicine"

 

Why are Americans having to resort to crossing into other countries to afford medicine? 

[Trent W]

40 minutes ago, Protocol said:

I know a lot of Americans and Canadians who love spending time in Mexico. I left Latin America because it's so unsafe so I'm just like.... lol. I'd rather pay more for a flight and go to Spain.

I’ve lived in the US and Mexico and while some areas in Mexico are dangerous so are in the US.

 

It’s basically the same imo.

 

Spain is safer than both countries obviously but let’s not act like the US much safer than Mexico.

[Vermillion]

Other context from the original account as to when the kidnapping originally happened

 

[unclefloprry]

50 minutes ago, Power love said:

Is Mexico not safe too travel?

like in all countries there are places/cities you should avoid due to local crime, it's like someone from outside the US visiting Detroit 

All the cities on the border with the US have this problem bc many migrants (locals, from Central and South America)  stay there bc  they cant enter to the US +they become easy targets and are recruited by drug cartels.

Edited March 7, 2023 by unclefloprry

[50thStateofMind]

14 minutes ago, Communion said:

"crossed border for medicine"

 

Why are Americans having to resort to crossing into other countries to afford medicine? 

is this a serious question?

 

[perfect blue]

51 minutes ago, Power love said:

Is Mexico not safe too travel?

Lol you wont catch me there outside of Cancun or PV...

[Communion]

4 minutes ago, 50thStateofMind said:

is this a serious question?

No, it's a rhetorical question to emphasize the failures of the Democrat + Republican duopoly. 

[J Legend X]

1 hour ago, Protocol said:

I know a lot of Americans and Canadians who love spending time in Mexico. I left Latin America because it's so unsafe so I'm just like.... lol. I'd rather pay more for a flight and go to Spain.

not all Latin America.. clearly places like Panama or Chile are not like this 

[Vermillion]

@Power love It's near the upper-right red star

[Trash]

2 minutes ago, Espresso said:

@Power love It's near the upper-right red star

guykhl I live in a reconsider travel area 

 

17 minutes ago, unclefloprry said:

All the cities on the border with the US have this problem bc many migrants (locals, from Central and South America)  stay there bc  they cant enter to the US +they become easy targets and are recruited by drug cartels.

Pretty much this, although I live near the border and even though like half a year ago there were incidents due to cartels rioting and protesting, my city is pretty tame.

Cd. Juarez and Culiacan are the ones I hear the most whenever this kind of stuff happens, I've never been to any of them so I wouldn't know first hand.

[Protocol]

23 minutes ago, J Legend X said:

not all Latin America.. clearly places like Panama or Chile are not like this 

I've been to both and know people who live there and they are still eons less safe than most places in Europe. All of Latin America has a problem with crime.

 

41 minutes ago, Trent W said:

I’ve lived in the US and Mexico and while some areas in Mexico are dangerous so are in the US.

 

It’s basically the same imo.

 

Spain is safer than both countries obviously but let’s not act like the US much safer than Mexico.

I agree. That's why I don't live in the US, I live in Canada (British Columbia to be exact). I have zero desire to spend any time in America for precisely that reason. It's a very violent country with some of the most dangerous cities on Earth. Even a place like New York, I can get the same level of sophistication and culture in London without any of the safety issues. Central London is super safe, unlike Manhattan these days. I hate America, no offense. 

[Protocol]

1 hour ago, Power love said:

Is Mexico not safe too travel?

It depends on your definition of safe. It's a developing country. A percentage of the population lives in what you would perceive as wealthy first world conditions, with nice cars, good jobs, country clubs, etc. But then a large part of the population lives with vastly less than what people are used to in the first world. The issues with crime that come out of that inequality inevitably spill over into the nicer parts every so often. So, compared to somewhere like Spain or Denmark? Not safe at all. Not even the resort towns like Puerto Vallarta. And there are areas in Mexico that are basically a small scale civil war between cartels. But then thousands of people vacation in Mexico without many issues every year. But every so often someone does die at a resort because the safety issues that affect every third world country pop up. It could be armed robbery gone wrong. It could be violent police. It could be lack of food inspection leading to food poisoning death. These issues are just more likely to occur in a country like that. When you go to any developing country, you have to realize that you are in a different land with different rules. Police are not going to act the way they do in Europe or (white) America. The standards you are used to may not be the same. The level of trust you put in safety features we in the first world take for granted, like proper maintenance on a rollercoaster or nightclubs having fire extinguishers and clear exits is not going to be comparable. Incidents like that happen way more in developing countries because the huge infrastructure, education level and government spending and efficiency needed to create a highly functional, safe society is lacking compared to 1st world countries.

 

TLDR: You will probably be fine in well known resort towns and Mexico DF but do not ever go north near the American border, and have a "hope for the best, plan for the worst" attitude, and keep your wits and street smarts about you.

 

Source: lived in Latin America for 10 years

[Vermillion]

Also, just so it's on the record, the original source Twitter account with the video that VICE News is quoting that started all of this with the image of the white van with the South Carolina license plate is reporting that definitely at least three of the four, if not highly likely all four, are in fact dead, and not just still missing and being held for ransom as some other sources are still implying.

 

So until I hear or see otherwise, I'm sticking with their original reporting and that's what will be in the thread title. 

[J Legend X]

8 minutes ago, Protocol said:

I've been to both and know people who live there and they are still eons less safe than most places in Europe. All of Latin America has a problem with crime.

 

I agree. That's why I don't live in the US, I live in Canada (British Columbia to be exact). I have zero desire to spend any time in America for precisely that reason. It's a very violent country with some of the most dangerous cities on Earth. Even a place like New York, I can get the same level of sophistication and culture in London without any of the safety issues. Central London is super safe, unlike Manhattan these days. I hate America, no offense. 

I'm literally from Panama and live between Panama and London, and honestly, you see me at 3-4 am driving and walking by in Panama City with no fear of anything.. in fact, I've never been robbed... my point is that people want to generalize that ALL LATIN AMERICA is super unsafe and not every country is like Mexico, Venezuela or Colombia.

[shyboi]

50 minutes ago, Trent W said:

let’s not act like the US much safer than Mexico.

 

This 

[Protocol]

3 minutes ago, J Legend X said:

I'm literally from Panama and live between Panama and London, and honestly, you see me at 3-4 am driving and walking by in Panama City with no fear of anything.. in fact, I've never been robbed... my point is that people want to generalize that ALL LATIN AMERICA is super unsafe and not every country is like Mexico, Venezuela or Colombia.

Ok well that alone tells me you are wealthy so I doubt you're walking around the bad part of town. And my best friend lived in Panama and he was robbed right outside of his fancy condo building.

[JohnWayneHolland]

Pinches gringos actuando como si en su país no hubiera balaceras en iglesias, escuelas o literalmente en cualquier lado  "omg Mexico is not safe I'm never going there outside of Los Cabos" no vengas wey, quédate allá a qué te balaceen mientras paseas a tu perro.

[J Legend X]

1 minute ago, Protocol said:

Ok well that alone tells me you are wealthy so I doubt you're walking around the bad part of town. And my best friend lived in Panama and he was robbed right outside of his fancy condo building.

I'm not wealthy, and that comment makes it irrelevant if we consider you contradicting yourself... you first said I don't walk the part of town, and then you said your best friend was robbed outside his fancy condo... like ??

 

As if the US, and UK don't bad parts of towns where you can get stabbed or shot... so I don't understand your need to imply and assure because you've been to places in Latin America you know for a fact that ALL OF IT has a super problem of unsafety...

 

Unsafe I felt in Brussels...