The U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory for Baja California in Mexico, which includes the sprawling border city of Tijuana, due to high rates of crime and kidnapping, the agency said.
The advisory warns people to reconsider travel to the area, and says that travelers there should remain on main highways and avoid remote locations.
“Transnational criminal organizations compete in the border area to establish narco-trafficking and human smuggling routes,” the State Dept. said. “Violent crime and gang activity are common.”
The department was particularly concerned with the high number of homicides in the non-tourist parts of Tijuana.
“Most homicides appeared to be targeted,” the advisory said. “However, criminal organization assassinations and territorial disputes can result in bystanders being injured or killed.”
The advisory also warned that U.S. residents have been kidnapped in the area.
The Mexican state of Baja California extends from the border half way to Cabo San Lucas and serves as an entry point for many people trying to gain entry into the U.S., including not just Central Americans but more recently Ukrainian and Russian refugees seeking to escape the war. Some Russian dissidents crossing the border say they are trying avoid retaliation from their own government.
Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev
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