Concerning Mexcio Travel Warnings
As one can well imagine, safety has been a big question from the groups scheduled to come down to San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico…and rightfully so. Safety should be a big concern! However, our mainstream media and our state department have sensationalized and generalized the truth. I am not saying the violence is not real. For example the statement; “Baja California is not safe for travel”…. The Baja Peninsula is 1000 miles long and only 300 miles of the US border is with Baja California. The Mexican border at it’s full length covers half of the width of the United States including the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The problem areas are focused in the middle of that 1960 mile long border at a location where Texas, New Mexico and Mexico come together (El Paso, TX) and some violence on the Western end with additional areas further South on the mainland of Mexico. The violence is focused primarily in Ciudad Juarez ( almost in the middle of the US-Mexican border) and this is where the cartel battles are raging strong. In order to get to Baja California from Juarez you need to go West from El Paso accross the States of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. In Juarez you have the cartels fighting each other, the good police fighting the cartels, the bad police (bought off) fighting fellow officers that are not loyal to “their” cartel. And so on and so forth.
In Tijuana (Baja California) you have the rapidly dimensioning influence of the Arrellano cartel (since the extradition of key leadership) and the cartel that is trying to take over their routes (I believe from the mainland). The killings you are seeing there amount to the old cartel being wiped out by the new cartel and that includes policemen that are loyal to one or the other. And occasionally, unfortunately, there are innocent people caught in the cross-fire.
In between Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana’s 900 mile distance is Mexicali (the border crossing) and San Felipe. In these two towns there is no increase of violent activity although more reporting when they do occur and almost always reflect a hit by one cartel on another.
In San Felipe the only increase in activity is the Marine (Navy) base is increased patrols over the water (Sea of Cortez).. They are building up their base in San Felipe (I expect) to be launch point across the Sea to Sinaloa another area that has an influential cartel.
To date, San Felipe is as safe as ever. With the economy’s decline we have noticed an increase in non-violent crime (robberies) but no increase in violence and no increase in cartel related crime. As with any community, we have drugs in San Felipe but no organized groups.
I know the state department recently issued a warning about vehicle confiscation. They said something about – all vehicles involved in drug trafficking would be confiscated by the Mexican government. Duh, that has been the law for both sides for a long as I can remember.
I will continue to monitor the situation, as well should you. Occasionally you will pick up on something they are trying to keep quite down here and vice versa.
But to date I have seen or heard nothing locally that would endanger the groups. Please understand that my web site is not an authorized sanctioned official reporting agency. Evaluate what you are hearing and if you have specific questions about your groups safety please continue to contact us. If at any point we are seeing or hearing information that we think will put teams in danger we will re-direct your mission team after discussion with the team leadership.
Join us in prayer for the safety of, not only teams, but of the Mexicans that are closer to the dangers and have very little control over the safety of their environment.
