Prayer for safety in Mexico

Canadian tourist Ivet Wait was shot in his left leg March 4 during an attempted carjacking in a trailer park frequented by international tourists in Mazatlan, Sinaloa state. Three armed men reportedly attempted to take control of Wait’s vehicle, and Wait was shot in the left leg after putting up mild resistance. Wait was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The following day, several reservations were reported to have been canceled and six foreign tourists that were staying in the trailer park reportedly left abruptly after learning of the incident. Much of the recent violence in Sinaloa has not been between warring cartels but between local gangs of car thieves who are capitalizing on the weak security environment resulting from the cartel wars. While some of these gangs have ties to the larger cartels, this particular incident highlights the risks to foreign nationals and tourists throughout Mexico, but primarily in areas frequented by vacationers on the coasts ahead of Spring Break.

As Spring Break season goes into full swing this week, there has been an increase in travel warnings from a variety of universities, states and the U.S. government warning college students of the degrading security situation in Mexico. While the violence that has grabbed headlines throughout Mexico is largely associated with warring cartels, more common crime such as express kidnappings, robberies and vehicular theft also have been increasing. Tourists visiting Mexico are far more likely to fall victim to these kinds of crimes rather than to be targeted by the cartels. The cartels have traditionally regulated and controlled street crime in the tourist regions of Mexico. However, as of late, the cartels in control of these regions have shifted their focus to battling rival cartels and the Mexican government elsewhere, which has led to an opening for local gangs and an increase in street crime.

It should be mentioned, however, that with the escalation in conflict between cartels, the likelihood of encountering a firefight is increased and the risk of collateral damage is higher than normal for the region. While the risk is still relatively small, visitors to Mexico should be aware of their surroundings at all time.