# Fbi: 199 americans kidnapped in mexico in 2014



## michmex (Jul 15, 2012)

A somewhat scare headline from a news source with very conservative leanings. It does, however, contain a few bits of interesting information.

From Breibart News on December 17, 2014.

"In Mexico a person is kidnapped every six hours, according to the statistics published by Mexico’s National Citizens Observatory, a non-profit organization that keeps track of crime figures."

"Breitbart Texas met with FBI Special Agent Michelle Lee who spoke about the number of kidnappings in Mexico that the agency has investigated in 2014. While in 2006, the agency only had 26 kidnappings, so far this year the agency has looked into 199 kidnappings."

"In the other fifty percent of crimes where a ransom call is not made there is some connection with organized crime."

FBI: 199 Americans Kidnapped in Mexico in 2014

The headline will induce apprehension about travel to Mexico unless one takes the time to read the entire article. While the chances of being kidnapped in Mexico are certainly greater than those in the USA, if you are not involved in either criminal or illicit activity you should be quite safe and should have no fear about travel to Mexico.


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## SirRon (Nov 4, 2014)

michmex said:


> if you are not involved in either criminal or illicit activity you should be quite safe and should have no fear about travel to Mexico.



I have been telling this to everyone for years !! AMEN !!!


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## lhpdiver (Jul 30, 2014)

I'm skeptical of stories such as this. 

- First off - I think the US would much rather all of us spend our lifetime of savings in the US rather than Mexico. Have you ever seen a US government article extolling the virtues of living in Mexico ?

- Coming from South Florida we very rarely heard of kidnappings - but 'home invasions' happen all the time.

How common is home invasion? - Home Invasion News | Home Invasion News

"On the other hand, Home Invasion News can report that as of this date — May 11, 2011 — in one 24-hour period, Google News sent us 50 — yes, that’s fifty! — stories about home invasion all over the United States."

Here's another link - specific to Miami.

Home Invasion Â« CBS Miami


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

lhpdiver said:


> I'm skeptical of stories such as this.
> 
> - First off - I think the US would much rather all of us spend our lifetime of savings in the US rather than Mexico. Have you ever seen a US government article extolling the virtues of living in Mexico?[/url]


A conspiracy by the U.S. government to plant stories critical of Mexico or life in Mexico. I have some tin hats around someplace I'd be happy to pass-out to conspiracy theorists. :gossip:

As for the linked article: That website on which it appears, IMO, promotes hate and intolerance and I doubt it would pass on an opportunity to toss rocks at Mexico.  However, I don't see any indication that it's a "US government article." :usa2: I'm not going to search-out kidnapping statistics, but unless someone is deaf, dumb and blind ... it seems very obvious to me that Mexico has a serious kidnapping problem and a lot of the kidnappings occur along portions of the USA/Mexico border (i.e., some "Americans" are likely to be kidnapped). :confused2:


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## lhpdiver (Jul 30, 2014)

Longford said:


> A conspiracy by the U.S. government to plant stories critical of Mexico or life in Mexico. I have some tin hats around someplace I'd be happy to pass-out to conspiracy theorists. :gossip:
> 
> As for the linked article: That website on which it appears, IMO, promotes hate and intolerance and I doubt it would pass on an opportunity to toss rocks at Mexico.  However, I don't see any indication that it's a "US government article." :usa2: I'm not going to search-out kidnapping statistics, but unless someone is deaf, dumb and blind ... it seems very obvious to me that Mexico has a serious kidnapping problem and a lot of the kidnappings occur along portions of the USA/Mexico border (i.e., some "Americans" are likely to be kidnapped). :confused2:


Nice icons ?!?

Sorry - I don't doubt for a moment that the US media is controlled - by government or wealthy individuals...

It is not clear to me which 'linked article' you are referring to.

I'm not going to re-read the original article but I believe it said that a large proportion of the 'victims' of kidnappings in Mexico are 'in-the-trade'. 

My point(s) was a) take reports such as this with a grain of salt and b) rather than throwing out statistics which might be misinterpreted - perhaps a spreadsheet of serious/violent crime might be more appropriate - which highlights that Mexico's 'kidnappings' should be contrasted with the US's 'home invasions'.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

The FBI has not published any stats on kidnappings in Mexico. This report seems to be only republished in right-wingnut blogs. No source is cited except for a unknown and unidentified "FBI" agent. There is a possibility that the bloggers are talking about virtual kidnappings which is more extortion than kidnapping. They should have blogged about this on April 1st.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

joaquinx said:


> The FBI has not published any stats on kidnappings in Mexico. This report seems to be only republished in right-wingnut blogs. No source is cited except for a unknown and unidentified "FBI" agent. There is a possibility that the bloggers are talking about virtual kidnappings which is more extortion than kidnapping. They should have blogged about this on April 1st.


The Breitbart website, which the article the OP discusses and linked, is, IMO, a bastion of racism, intolerance and hate in the USA. That having been said, the article does identify an FBI agent with whom it purports to have spoken and I don't detect the article stating falsehoods:



> Breitbart Texas met with _*FBI Special Agent Michelle Lee *_who spoke about the number of kidnappings in Mexico that the agency has investigated in 2014. While in 2006, the agency only had 26 kidnappings, so far this year the agency has looked into 199 kidnappings.


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