The U.S. Consulate General in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, issued a level 4 security alert on Monday to discourage travel to cities such as Reynosa, Rio Bravo, Valle Hermoso, and San Fernando in the mentioned state, citing the increasing incidence of kidnappings and crime in the region.
In a statement, the diplomatic representation informed about the frequency of shootings in Reynosa and its surroundings during the late hours of the night and the early morning. It also echoed a warning issued by the Government of Tamaulipas to avoid handling improvised explosive devices found in the mentioned area, mainly along secondary roads.
According to the consulate, "Criminal organizations in this region are increasingly manufacturing and using improvised explosive devices. One device destroyed an official vehicle of the Government of Mexico on the Rio Bravo and injured its occupant on January 23." In light of this situation, U.S. government employees were ordered to avoid travel during nighttime hours in the area and to refrain from traveling on dirt roads in Tamaulipas as a precaution.
In a related incident, Border Patrol agents returning to Mexico with a group of migrants who were being trafficked across the Rio Bravo were shot at in Fronton, Texas, near the town of Los Guerra, in Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas. According to local reports, U.S. agents responded to the attack with gunfire.
These events unfold in the context of pressures from U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently designated Mexican cartels as terrorists and has mentioned imposing a 25% tariff on Mexico due to drug trafficking, especially fentanyl, and migrants. During his first week in office, Trump deployed thousands of military personnel after declaring an emergency at the common border to deal with the influx of migrants and initiated deportation processes to Mexico and other Latin American countries.
