Americans traveling to a major U.S.-Mexico border crossing have been warned to exercise increased caution after the U.S. Embassy in Mexico restricted government personnel movements in the city of Nogales because of an unspecified threat. The alert, issued by the U.S.
Mission to Mexico, limits U.S. government activities and travel in Nogales, Sonora, to essential daytime movements only and warns U.S. citizens of a change in security. The warning affects a city directly across the border from Nogales, Arizona, and comes as Sonora remains under a Level 3 U.S. travel advisory, meaning Americans are advised to reconsider travel to the state. Newsweek reached out to the Department of State via email for comment.
The security alert applies to Nogales, a city in the northern Mexican state of Sonora that sits directly across the border from Nogales, Arizona. Embassy said government personnel movements in the city have been restricted to essential travel during daylight hours because of unspecified threat information. Sonora is currently under a Level 3 "Reconsider Travel" advisory from the U.S.
The latest alert is specific to Nogales, although it follows other recent security alerts issued by the U.S. Mission to Mexico in border regions. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico said the restrictions were implemented because of "threat information," although officials did not provide further details about the nature of the threat.
In the security alert, the embassy said: "Due to threat information, U.S. government activities in, and travel to, Nogales have been restricted to essential movement during daylight hours only. We are alerting U.S. citizens of this threat and change in posture." The embassy urged Americans to remain aware of their surroundings, seek shelter if an incident occurs, follow instructions from Mexican law enforcement and monitor local media for updates. The State Department uses a four-tier travel advisory system.
A Level 3 advisory advises Americans to reconsider travel because of elevated security risks, while Level 4 is reserved for locations where Americans are told not to travel. The embassy's latest security alert does not change Sonora's advisory status, but it serves as a warning that U.S. officials have heightened concerns about security conditions in Nogales. Mission to Mexico did not provide an end date for the restrictions and said Americans should continue monitoring official updates.
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