# Recent violence in Mexico



## chrisser (8 mo ago)

Been seeing some reports of cartel violence in Northern Mexico. Tijuana is most often mentioned. But frankly it's hard to find good info.

Just curious as to the perception of expats in Mexico (especially the Baja peninsula) about what's going on and if it's affecting you where you are. Does it factor into crossing the border to the US at this time?

We don't have any plans to be in the area anytime soon, so this is more of trying to get a feel for what's really happening vs what limited news reporting we hear here.


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## mr_manny (Nov 22, 2013)

I believe much of the violence is sensationalized...the same way it is in the US.

Recently Zapopan (next to Guadalajara) was hit with violence, buses burning in the streets.
I called a cousin who actually lives their...he had no idea.


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## WileyRTW (8 mo ago)

Personally I do not find it was sensationalized, luckily when these flare ups happen they often subside in a few days, so there is generally nothing for you to worry about. Keep your eyes on the news, but things should be fine when you decide to enter Mexico.

During these events, over a dozen innocent bystanders were killed in Juarez, which isn't the best of places to be. That doesn't change the fact that a dozen innocent bystanders were killed, this could easily happen in Tijuana, or anywhere else in Mexico (they shot up a little ceasers among other places, it was not only people caught in the crossfire, they were targeted). In TJ there were blockades setup, with dozens of burned cars. Over 25 oxxos were set on fire around Mexico, sadly a pregnant woman along with 4 other people including a child were killed inside of one.

The violence is very real, it shouldn't be shrugged off as nothing, but it is also usually quick, so pay attention to the things you hear, but chances are you can enjoy your vacation/trip without any issue. Baja (and most of Mexico) is generally very safe for foreigners despite being on of the states most heavily affected by the violence.


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## chrisser (8 mo ago)

WileyRTW said:


> Personally I do not find it was sensationalized, luckily when these flare ups happen they often subside in a few days, so there is generally nothing for you to worry about. Keep your eyes on the news, but things should be fine when you decide to enter Mexico.
> 
> During these events, over a dozen innocent bystanders were killed in Juarez, which isn't the best of places to be. That doesn't change the fact that a dozen innocent bystanders were killed, this could easily happen in Tijuana, or anywhere else in Mexico (they shot up a little ceasers among other places, it was not only people caught in the crossfire, they were targeted). In TJ there were blockades setup, with dozens of burned cars. Over 25 oxxos were set on fire around Mexico, sadly a pregnant woman along with 4 other people including a child were killed inside of one.
> 
> The violence is very real, it shouldn't be shrugged off as nothing, but it is also usually quick, so pay attention to the things you hear, but chances are you can enjoy your vacation/trip without any issue. Baja (and most of Mexico) is generally very safe for foreigners despite being on of the states most heavily affected by the violence.


This could change, but our primary area of interest is the Pacific side of BC, well south of Ensenada.

We're quiet rural people in the states and intend to be so as much as possible in MX, albeit I need an Internet connection for work (Starlink may do that for me anywhere).

My main concern with the violence of late, hypothetically, would be travelling towards mid/southern BC and having to go through TJ/Mexicali area to get where we wanted to be since we'd likely be driving at some point. Advice seems to be to stay on the main roads, especially as a newbie, but the main roads go through the populated areas - which is where the violence tends to be based on the news.


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## WileyRTW (8 mo ago)

chrisser said:


> This could change, but our primary area of interest is the Pacific side of BC, well south of Ensenada.
> 
> We're quiet rural people in the states and intend to be so as much as possible in MX, albeit I need an Internet connection for work (Starlink may do that for me anywhere).
> 
> My main concern with the violence of late, hypothetically, would be travelling towards mid/southern BC and having to go through TJ/Mexicali area to get where we wanted to be since we'd likely be driving at some point. Advice seems to be to stay on the main roads, especially as a newbie, but the main roads go through the populated areas - which is where the violence tends to be based on the news.


If Starlink works for your needs now then yes it will work into Southern Mexico. I personally find it drops video calls when switching satellites at a too regular frequency for me to use for remote work, but there may be less satellites down where I am.

Chances of you encountering anything outside of a robbery are quite low. Driving through TJ is fine, the chances of you seeing anything go down are so low. I myself have stayed there a few days at a time and walked around the popular areas without issue, and anytime I fly out TJ I walk across the border and take the local bus to get to the TJ airport. Basically if you hear things are going down like they were last week, hold of on crossing a few days, but a ton of expats live in TJ/Rosarito/Ensenada without issues. Once of several places I have lived in previously was Uruapan Michoacan, which is statistically one of the worst Mexican cities and never had an issue there either. They are not out hunting gringos, so just be smart about your surroundings and all will be good. 

That said, do yourself a favor and cross at Tecate. This is a small crossing which keeps everything easy instead of the slightly chaotic TJ crossing. The office to get your FMM/TIP are right there, and if you go on a weekday morning chances are you will be the only one there. Then you can skip the TJ and Rosarito traffic and instead take a nice drive through Bajas wine country, dropping you right into Ensenada. From there the rest of Baja is a breeze.


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