Four U.S. citizens have been kidnapped by armed gunmen in Matamoros, MX after they drove across the border from TX. They were fired upon, held at gunpoint, and taken away in vehicles. The area is under the control of the Gulf cartel. FBI investigating, according to numerous media reports from Monday.
Ben Bergquam posted footage of the scene:
And this is all in time for Spring Break, where college and highschool aged American kids spend a ton of money in sunny resort Mexican destinations.
Fox News reported on a new travel warning into the country that has our immigration systems being over backboard to please Mexicans and other migrants looking for handouts from American taxpayer funds:
The U.S. State Department is reminding American citizens it has issued its highest-level warning advising against travel to parts of Mexico.
This comes after the FBI announced four U.S. citizens were kidnapped after gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in the northern Mexico border city of Matamoros. The four had entered Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday and were traveling in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates. The FBI said that the vehicle came under fire shortly after it entered Mexico.
“All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men,” the office said.
And that is just one in a string of deaths, according to the Fox news report.
A doctor now says the death of Elliot Blair could be a homicide and his wife said the police in Rosarito tried to extort them before his death.
California family of 6 killed in cartel-style execution: Sheriff
Matamoros is located in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, which is included in the travel warning along with Guerrero, Colima, Michoacan, Sinaloa, and Zacatecas.
However, officials said because Matamoros is a border city, U.S. citizens who live in Brownsville or elsewhere in Texas frequently cross the border to visit family, go to medical appointments, or shop. It also serves as a crossing point for people traveling deeper into Mexico, according to officials.
Matamoros is notorious for warring factions of the Gulf drug cartel, and the violence has become so bad that the U.S. Consulate issued an alert following the kidnapping.
For years, a night out in Matamoros was also part of the “two-nation vacation” for spring breakers flocking to Texas’ South Padre Island. But increased violence there over the past 10 to 15 years frightened away much of that business.
FOX 11 has reported on several incidents of kidnappings and crimes against American tourists in Mexico. Just last year, an American tourist had his foot hacked by a machete after being kidnapped by his taxi driver.
- Tourist kidnapped in Mexico had foot hacked with machete before being left for dead
- Orange County public defender killed in Mexico celebrating first wedding anniversary
In January, 33-year-old Orange County public defender Elliot Blair was found dead in Rosarito during a one-year wedding celebration with his wife. A Mexican prosecutor described Blair’s death as an unfortunate accident, saying he fell off the hotel’s balcony after ingesting a significant amount of alcohol.
Blair’s family, however, does not believe he was intoxicated and fell. They believe he was the victim of a brutal crime. Blair’s autopsy report performed in Mexico showed the lawyer sustained 40 fractures to the back of his skull as well as “road rash” on his knees and a toe injury, which indicated he was dragged.
The results contradict statement from authorities indicating Blair died from a fall from a balcony at the Rosarito Beach resort where the couple was staying, the family’s lawyer said.
The US Government has issued a warning to travelers, saying, ‘If you must travel to Mexico, officials strongly recommend the following’:
- Review the U.S. Embassy’s webpage on COVID-19.
- Visit the CDC’s web page on Travel and COVID-19.
- Keep traveling companions and family back home informed of your travel plans. If separating from your travel group, send a friend your GPS location. If taking a taxi alone, take a photo of the taxi number and/or license plate and text it to a friend.
- Use toll roads when possible and avoid driving alone or at night. In many states, police presence and emergency services are extremely limited outside the state capital or major cities.
- Exercise increased caution when visiting local bars, nightclubs, and casinos.
- Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive watches or jewelry.
- Be extra vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
- Follow the U.S. Embassy on Facebook and Twitter.
- Review the Country Security Report for Mexico.
- Mariners planning travel to Mexico should check for U.S. maritime advisories and alerts, which include instructions on reporting suspicious activities and attacks to Mexican naval authorities.
- Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
In other words: You are on your own and we don’t care.
As Democrat Joe Biden works with the United Nations on their Obama era- “Global Compact” to transform the USA, and to make America and Americans as vulnerable as possible with open borders and even massive assistance for every third-world migrant to travel through Mexico and across the US border where migrants will be treated like royalty- Americans are subject to abuse when going into Mexico to spend money on medical procedures they can not afford in their own country.
US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) had the right point:
And this is all perfectly acceptable to Democrats who insist that Americans deserve to be treated worse than criminals- at home and abroad. All while the Mexican Drug Cartels are given authority and power over free people.
This is the perfect story to show how America is last, and Democrats love it that way.
CNN reported details on Tuesday Morning:
Two South Carolina families have identified the four US citizens who were assaulted and kidnapped by gunmen in northeastern Mexico on Friday in what a US official with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN was a case of mistaken identity.
Family members told CNN that Latavia “Tay” Washington McGee went to Mexico for a medical procedure and was accompanied by Zindell Brown, Shaeed Woodard and a man they identified as Eric, according to McGee’s mother and Brown’s sister.
The Americans are believed to have been targeted by mistake and were not the intended victims, the official said. Investigators believe a Mexican cartel likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers, the official said, adding investigators have not identified any concerning criminal history on the part of the Americans.
The Americans had traveled to the border city of Matamoros for medical procedures, the official said, citing receipts found in the vehicle.
The incident highlights the ongoing violence in some Mexican cities, which have been wracked by organized crime at least since the Mexican Drug War began in 2006, as well as the growing business of what’s known as “medical tourism.”
The missing Americans drove into Matamoros on Friday in a white minivan with North Carolina plates, the FBI in San Antonio said. There, they were fired upon by unidentified gunmen and were “placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men,” the FBI said.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador previously said the Americans were traveling for medical reasons.
“The information we have is that they crossed the border to buy medicines in Mexico, there was a confrontation between groups and they were detained,” the president said. “The whole government is working on it.”
Another view of the footage shows a closer view of a person being dragged through the street.