Mexican governor issues a travel warning for his own state

Houston Chronicle:

A governor in Mexico is warning his citizens to not travel to the U.S. through the state of Tamaulipas following a deadly ambush on Mexican marines in Nuevo Laredo that left eight people dead.

"The first recommendation that I make to citizens as governor of Nuevo Leon is to not travel to the United States through Reynosa," said Manuel Gonzalez Flores, the interim governor of Nuevo Leon, according to the Mexican newspaper El Universal.

Tamaulipas is also on a U.S. State Department list of Mexican states where travel is not advised due to crime.

Flores specifically advised his citizens against traveling on the Reynosa-McAllen bridge into the U.S., and to instead use roads from Nuevo Laredo, which have received "much better" security reports.

Vacationers from Nuevo Leon were also asked to be cautious if they choose to travel to popular beach spots in Tamaulipas like Matamoros and Tampico.

"Tamaulipas is a state that has many problems right now," he said. "What we want is to collaborate with them. We are coordinated with them. It's recommended to citizens who travel to those destinations to be very cautious."

The warning came a day after gunmen believed to be affiliated with the Northeastern Cartel ambushed marines with the Mexican Navy in Nuevo Laredo. One marine was killed and twelve others were wounded, according to the Associated Press. Authorities said the gunmen were dressed in fake marine uniforms and had fake markings on their vehicles.

The marines were ambushed three separate times. Following the first ambush, another patrol was sent to the fight for support, but they too came under fire. A third patrol was ambushed as it left the marine base to respond to the first two attacks.

A helicopter gunship then responded to the battle, according to the Associated Press. Five gunmen were killed in the battle.
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I grew up in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and both Reynosa and Matamoros were popular destinations for eating out and shopping.  I would not go near either one of them right now.

The Mexican Marines have been the most effective fighting force against the cartels so it is not surprising that they would come under a treachery attack.  This reinforces my contention that Mexico is still experiencing a criminal insurgency.