A Bloody Monday in the Arizona-Sonora Border Region

According to Sonora, Mexico media reports there were 10 homicides on the afternoon of June 10, making it the bloodiest day in recent memory for the state. Nine of the homicide victims were gunned down in border towns along the border between Arizona and Sonora.

The carnage started in the Sonora border city of Agua Prieta, located south of Douglas, Arizona. There, four men and one woman were killed by gunfire early Monday afternoon.

Shortly after those murders, at approximately 1:30 p.m., four men in a Chevrolet HHR were gunned down in a hail of gunfire along the highway on the south outskirts of Naco, Sonora.

Naco is located on the Sonora border approximately seven miles south of Bisbee, Arizona and is a 23-mile drive from the scene of the earlier deaths in Agua Prieta. The highway through Naco is a route to the tourism area along the Rio Sonora.

The tenth victim of gun violence in Sonora on Monday afternoon was a man found shot in a house on the corner of Calle Sufragio Efectivo and Juarez in the state capital of Hermosillo.

Details of the last homicide were still sketchy, but they did mention that the shooting occurred during a kidnapping attempt.

Because of apparently escalating tensions in the eastern border between Arizona and Sonora, we advise travelers to exercise extreme caution if you plan to visit or pass through Agua Prieta or Naco, Sonora.

More Sonora news and insights

August 2018 Updates to State Department Sonora Travel Advisory

Current Warnings and Advisories for Sonora, Mexico

Further Travel Restrictions and Additional Information for Visiting Border Cities

The United States Department of State twice updated its Sonora Travel Advisory in August 2018.

One constant with previous travel advisories is that Sonora still has a Level 3 travel advisory rating (Reconsider Travel, due to crime). And as always, the travel advisories are directed at U.S. government employees traveling in Sonora, with the understanding that the prohibitions and guidance are also recommendations for U.S. tourists and other travelers to the state of Sonora, Mexico.

The first update on August 18 prohibited U.S. government employees from visiting locations south of Hermosillo, to include Alamos, Empalme, Guaymas and San Carlos. It also details two highway routes that government employees can drive during the day, including a highway route from Nogales to Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point). The advisory also added specific restrictions for government employees who visit Nogales, Mexico. Read more details and analysis from the August 18, 2018 State Department Sonora Travel Advisory.

On August 22 the State Department added information and restrictions regarding travel to San Luis Rio Colorado, Agua Prieta and Cananea. Read more details.

U.S. government employees are no longer allowed to visit Playa Miramar beach in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico

Text of the Current State Department Travel Advisory for Sonora, Mexico:

Sonora state – Level 3: Reconsider Travel

Reconsider travel due to crime. Sonora is a key location used by the international drug trade and human trafficking networks. However, northern Sonora experiences much lower levels of crime than cities closer to Sinaloa and other parts of Mexico. U.S. government employees visiting Puerto Peñasco may use the Lukeville/Sonoyta crossing, and are required to travel during daylight hours on Federal Highway 8. U.S. government employees may also travel to Puerto Peñasco from Nogales by using Federal Highway 15 south and east via Federal Highway 2 and State Highway 37 through Caborca during daylight hours. U.S. government employees may travel between the cities of Nogales and Hemosillo, however, travel is restricted to daylight hours and only on Federal Highway 15 through Imuris, Magdalena, and Santa Ana.

U.S. government employees are prohibited from travel to:

  • The triangular region west of the Mariposa port-of-entry, east of Sonoyta, and north of Altar.
  • The district within Nogales that lies to the north of Ayenida Instituto Tecnologico and between Periferico and Corredor Fiscal, and the residential areas to the east of Plutarco Elias Calles. U.S. government employees are not permitted to use taxi services in Nogales, but bus travel is permitted. Movement around the city after dark is by vehicle only. U.S. government employees should avoid El Centro and all night clubs after 10:00 p.m.
  • The eastern edge of the state of Sonora, which borders the state of Chihuahua (all points along that border east of Federal Highway 17, the road between Moctezuma and Sahuaripa, and state Highway 20 between Sahuaripa and the intersection with Federal Highway 16).
  • San Carlos, Guaymas, Empalme, and all points south of Hermosillo via Federal Highway 15.

Travel of U.S. government employees to the following cities is permitted with the noted restrictions:

  • San Luis Rio Colorado: U.S. government employees must travel during daylight hours through the San Luis, Arizona port-of-entry and may not travel beyond the city limits.
  • Cananea: U.S. government employees must travel during daylight hours through the Naco, Arizona port-of-entry and along Route 2 to Cananea, including the Cananea mine, and may not travel beyond the city limits.
  • Agua Prieta: U.S. government employees must travel during daylight hours through the Douglas, Arizona port-of-entry and may not travel beyond the city limits.

State Department Adds Travel Advisories for Border and Cananea

August 22, 2018 Addendum to Sonora, Mexico Travel Advisory

The State Department has done another stealth update to its Sonora, Mexico travel advisory (without a formal announcement), adding travel information for U.S. government employees who may want to travel to the border cities of Agua Prieta and San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora and the historic mining city of Cananea, Sonora.

This information follows changes made to the Sonora travel advisory on August 18.

Border Cities of Agua Prieta and San Luis Rio Colorado

Government employees can still visit these Arizona – Sonora border cities during daylight hours by crossing through the international port of entry, and are prohibited from traveling outside of the city limits.

We expect that these general advisories will eventually be updated with more limits and specificity, as the State Department recently did with its travel advisory to Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.

Cananea

U.S. government employees are allowed to visit the city of Cananea, Sonora by passing through the border city of Naco, Sonora, which is located seven miles south of Bisbee, Arizona. They are allowed to visit the Cananea mine, but cannot travel outside the city limits of Cananea.

Apparently the other routes to Cananea on Mexico highway 2 from Agua Prieta or Imuris are not allowed. Following is the text of the travel advisory.

State Department August 22, 2018 Travel Advisory for San Luis Rio Colorado, Agua Prieta and Cananea:

Travel of U.S. government employees to the following cities is permitted with the noted restrictions:

  • San Luis Rio Colorado:S. government employees must travel during daylight hours through the San Luis, Arizona port-of-entry and may not travel beyond the city limits.
  • Cananea:S. government employees must travel during daylight hours through the Naco, Arizona port-of-entry and along Route 2 to Cananea, including the Cananea mine, and may not travel beyond the city limits.
  • Agua Prieta:S. government employees must travel during daylight hours through the Douglas, Arizona port-of-entry and may not travel beyond the city limits.
Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico

August 2018 State Department Expands Areas in Sonora Travel Warning

Sonora Travel Warning Now Includes San Carlos, Guaymas, Alamos, more specific areas of Nogales

The U.S. Department of State updated its Sonora travel advisory information on August 18 to include all of the state of Sonora south of Hermosillo, and added more specificity to its travel advisory to the city of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. It did not formally announce the changes to the media, other than forecasting it in a Tweet on the evening of July 31.

State Department travel advisories provide indirect advice to travelers for a country, or region in that country, by stating as a proxy technique where government employees can and cannot travel. Previously, the U.S. Department of State allowed government employees to visit the magical pueblo of Alamos and the coastal cities of Empalme, Guaymas and San Carlos. But no more – those travel exceptions have been removed.

Guaymas and San Carlos

The State Department Tweet on July 31 that prohibited travel for U.S. government employees to “San Carlos, Guaymas, Empalme, and all points south of Hermosillo” was announced due to “recent violent criminal activity and police action.”

Without going into great detail, one event that apparently influenced the decision was the “disappearance” of a Mexican tourist from Southern Sonora who was visiting the Guaymas – San Carlos area with his family and was abducted along with two other men, reportedly by local police officials. Busloads of Sonorans from Southern Sonora have staged protests in the Guaymas – San Carlos area at different times following the incident, but thus far the whereabouts of the men is still unknown.

Highway Travel

There are two highway routes where U.S. government employees are allowed to travel in Sonora, Mexico – but only during daylight hours. The first is Mexico highway 15, between Nogales and Hermosillo.

The other is the route from Nogales to Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) via Mexico highway 2, which intersects with highway 15 at Santa Ana and continues to Caborca, and its connecting State Highway 37 from Caborca to Rocky Point.

For coastal travelers, the route from Nogales to Rocky Point would also include the seaside fishing village of Desemboque, Caborca. Read more about Desemboque.

Nogales

As in previous travel warnings, the August 2018 travel advisory mentions the “triangle” whose first two points are the Nogales Mariposa commercial port of entry and along the border to the border city of Sonoyta, Sonora. The third point of the triangle is the city of Altar, Sonora, located east of Caborca.

But on August 18, the State Department provided some guidance to “government employees” regarding travel in and around Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. And the statement raises some questions, because parts of it are confusing.

The first sentence prohibits government employees from traveling in an area bounded by Avenida Instituto Tecnologico (which was the location of a rolling gun battle between city police and a cartel caravan of pickup trucks on February 27, 2018); the Periferico, which is the four-lane road that rumbles from the Mariposa Port of Entry to connect with Avenida Obregon; and the Corredor Fiscal, which is the toll road that extends from just south of the Mariposa Port of Entry to a toll station located south of Nogales.

The prohibited area identified as the “residential areas to the east of Avenue Plutarco Elias Calles” is the notoriously dangerous Buenos Aires neighborhood, which is not a tourist destination and is effectively closed to outsiders at night.

The State Department allows government employees to travel by bus from Nogales, but leaves them in a quandary of how to get to the bus stations, since they are now not permitted to take a taxi in Nogales and would need some form of ground transportation to get to the bus terminals.

Which means that government employees planning to travel by bus from Nogales must either arrange private transportation or take one of the 1970’s vintage school buses that serve as economical transportation in Nogales, Sonora. Perhaps future State Department advisories will guide government employees to take the buses with “El Greco” written in shoe polish on their windshield, and upon boarding, to ask the driver to drop them off at the terminal. Because those buses get crowded as they go south, and the driver may not hear them shouting “baja!” in time to make the stop.

In all seriousness, we have been taking Nogales taxis for decades and found them to always be courteous and professional. Sure, sometimes scary, but that’s traffic in Nogales, Mexico. There have been headlines about nighttime violence regarding Nogales taxis, but those crimes were committed against the taxi drivers, not by them.

And finally, the mysterious “El Centro” is not the city in California. There is a Colonia Centro neighborhood south of the Nogales border area, and the area extending a few blocks south from the Nogales international border wall is sometimes known as “el centro,” or downtown Nogales. If you plan to go to either areas at night, especially at bars and nightclubs, it is best to head home before 10:00 p.m.

State Department statement regarding travel in Nogales, Mexico:

The district within Nogales that lies to the north of Ayenida (sic) Instituto Tecnologico and between Periferico and Corredor Fiscal, and the residential areas to the east of Plutarco Elias Calles. U.S. government employees are not permitted to use taxi services in Nogales, but bus travel is permitted. Movement around the city after dark is by vehicle only. U.S. government employees should avoid El Centro and all night clubs after 10:00 p.m.

More Information

We are preparing a couple more posts regarding the Sonora travel advisories, stay tuned here for links. And travel safe.

The State Department updated its Sonora travel advisory information on August 22. The update included information regarding U.S. government employees’ travel to the border cities of San Luis Rio Colorado and Agua Prieta, and the historic mining town of Cananea, Sonora. Read more about the travel advisory.

Full text of the current State Department Sonora, Mexico Travel Advisory

U.S. government employees can no longer visit the beautiful colonia pueblo of Alamos, Sonora, Mexico
U.S. government employees can no longer visit the Hotel Playa de Cortes in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico
U.S. government employees will not be able to attend the beautiful Festival de la Calaca in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico

Sonora Tourism Advisory – July 1 Mexican Elections

May affect borders, alcohol sales prohibited starting Friday

 

Update: On Thursday, June 28 the head of the Sonora Directorate of Alcohol, Zaira Fernández Morales, announced that the dry laws would be further amended to ban the sale of alcohol only on Sunday, July 1. Bars, clubs, convenience stores and other places that sell alcohol will be able to sell alcoholic beverages until midnight Saturday.

 

On Sunday, July 1, Mexicans will go to the polls to elect a new president, federal senators and legislators, and local officials. With far-left presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador (also known as “AMLO”) leading in the polls, there is speculation that the election and its aftermath could cause controversy south of the border.

López Obrador is a populist candidate who has promised reforms that will help Mexico’s working class, and if he is elected it will represent the first time a candidate that is not part of one of Mexico’s two ruling parties of PAN and PRI ascends to the presidency of Mexico.

And he plans to officially close his campaign in the Sonora capital of Hermosillo.

Mexicos “ley seca” (dry law), which prohibits the sale of alcohol on the day of federal elections and the day before, has been extended to two days before the election, and will begin this Friday, June 29.

As a result, many businesses will be closed or have limited hours of operation over the weekend. There may also be heavier than normal northbound traffic at the Arizona-Sonora ports of entry on Friday and Saturday.

January 2018 State Department Mexico Travel Warning

January 2018 State Department Mexico Travel Warnings

Travel advisories for Mexico and Sonora

January 2018 State Department Mexico Travel Warning

Recommends that travelers reconsider travel plans to Sonora

The US State Department has issued an advisory that advises Americans with travel plans to visit Sonora, Mexico to reconsider those travel plans due to increased crime in the state of Sonora. While we still think that Sonora is a very safe place to visit (when using proper precautions), the warning has some merit.

The U.S. State Department issued its latest Mexico Travel Advisory on January 10, 2018, in conjunction with a State Department Fact Sheet that announced a new advisory system for international travel.

Both announced updates to how the State Department provides traveler information and advisories. Read more here.

Among the changes is a new four-category system of rating a nation or region within that country with respect to potential safety concerns, ranking areas from “1” (Exercise Normal Precautions) to “4” (Do Not Travel).

The state of Sonora, Mexico, along with other Mexican states along the U.S.-Mexico border, received a designation of “3” (Reconsider Travel), meaning that anyone with plans to visit Sonora should reconsider their travel plans. The rationale for the given designation was with a letter “C,” for crime – “widespread violent or organized crime is present in areas of the country.”

As always, the State Department has provided very general information with no specific sources or examples for the “C” rating assigned to Sonora. It also fell short in connecting the risk of increased crime to its potential connection with or impact on tourists and other visitors.

In fact, the only event in Sonora where they issued an alert in 2017 was for a January protest weekend on the border in Nogales, Sonora.

Here is the text regarding travel in Sonora, from the State Department’s International Travel Country Information Page for Mexico:

Sonora state – Level 3: Reconsider Travel

Reconsider travel due to crime. Sonora is a key location utilized by the international drug trade and human trafficking networks. However, northern Sonora experiences much lower levels of crime than cities closer to Sinaloa and other parts of Mexico. U.S. government employees visiting Puerto Peñasco must use the Lukeville/Sonoyta crossing, and they are required to travel during daylight hours on main roads.

U.S. government employees are prohibited from travel to:

  • The triangular region west of Nogales, east of Sonoyta, and north of Altar.
  • The eastern edge of the state of Sonora, which borders the state of Chihuahua (all points along that border east of Federal Highway 17, the road between Moctezuma and Sahuaripa, and state Highway 20 between Sahuaripa and the intersection with Federal Highway 16).
  • South of Hermosillo, with the exception of the cities of Alamos, San Carlos, Guaymas, and Empalme.

Is Sonora, Mexico Safe?

It is a shame that federal government employees cannot visit some of the marvelous locales in Southern Sonora like Navojoa and the beaches of Huatabampito. However, the State Department is right in erring on the side of caution, not only because Sonora can be a very dangerous place, but because levels of crime, especially in Sonoran cities, have increased over the past few years.

Due to its geographic location and proximity to the United States, Sonora has major smuggling corridors for the transport of drugs and humans across the border.

And in recent years Sonora has seen an increase in street crime, murders and assaults.

Just last year, summertime machete assaults shocked residents of Hermosillo and spread to other cities in Sonora. Retailers in Caborca demanded that the city’s municipal president do something to stop the high levels of robberies and theft, a movement that generated a response from local and state authorities. And residents of other cities also protested increased crime and insecurity.

And no discussion of how safe it is to visit Sonora should neglect mentioning the impact of the “Fast and Furious” debacle orchestrated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney in Phoenix and others, which resulted in the flow of thousands of automatic and semi-automatic weapons from Arizona into Sonora.

Although the program was ended, it resulted in well-armed criminal elements south of the border, and the flow of illegal weapons continues today.

However, as we and others point out, almost none of the crime and threats of crime affect tourists who stay in tourism areas and follow basic travel safety rules.

Conclusion

From a personal perspective, I have traveled in various parts of Sonora, Mexico for nearly 25 years and have never been assaulted, robbed or the victim of violent crime. On the contrary, I have always found the people of Sonora to be very friendly and helpful to visitors.

In fact, a week after the State Department issued its warnings and advisories I rented a car and took a week-long trip from Southern Sonora to Northern Sonora and the border, which included stops along the coast of the Gulf of California, border cities and the towns in the Rio Sonora region. I met a lot of great people, saw interesting and beautiful places and had an enjoyable time. Read more about my trip.

Ultimately the decision to visit and explore Sonora is yours, and will depend on your judgment and individual travel experience, plans and risk mitigation. If you would feel more comfortable traveling in a guided tour group, you can learn more about that here.

Safe travels.