The State Department extends the authorized departure for family members of U.S. Consulate officials in Nogales, Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros another month.
--------------
As the bloodshed continues in Mexico, the State Department updated its travel warning for Mexico, and extended the authorization for family members of officials in five Northern Mexico consulates (including Nogales) to temporarily leave those areas. In the travel warning issued on March 14, it authorized those departures through April 12. That has now been extended through May 12.
The State Department has offered financial assistance for families to relocate from these five other northern Mexico consulates: Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros. Unlike a mandatory evacuation, families aren't required to leave. The decision was made last month based on an assessment by diplomatic security about the conditions along the Mexican border.
People are also reading…
The State Department won't disclose the number of families that have relocated for security reasons but spokesman Andy Laine said "very few" have taken the offer.
---------------------
The latest statistics from the Sonoran government shows that there have been 77 killings in Nogales, Sonora, through March, up from 23 at the same time last year. The 77 is more than the totals for 2006 (35) and 2007 (52). If you want to check out the stats, go here:
When there, click on “Perfiles Estadísticos por Delito,” and then “Descargar Perfil Estadístico de Homicidio.” This brings up a PDF of the homicides by city in Sonora.
---------------------
El Imparcial newspaper in Sonora reports there have now been 90 killings in Nogales through Tuesday, with Monday’s discovery of a man bound in tape in a middle class neighborhood in central Nogales. El Imparcial reports the man had his throat cut violentally open and then stitched together with black thread. His feet and arms were bound with brown tape known as “canela.”
