State Department warns Americans of travel to Mexicali

The State Department on Monday issued a travel advisory for Americans visiting the northern Mexican city of Mexicali.

The advisory , issued by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, noted the U.S. government was suspending its consular activities in the border city on Tuesday. The Hill has reached out to the State Department for clarification on whether the suspension is still in effect.

The advisory did not give a specific reason for the status change beyond “threat information,” but instructed U.S. citizens to avoid government buildings in Mexicali, seek shelter in the event of an incident and follow instructions from Mexican law enforcement.

More than 1 million people lived in Mexicali as of 2020, according to the Mexican government . The city is a short drive from the California border city of Calexico.

Mexican Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection wrote Thursday on social media that Mexican authorities, with assistance from officials in Mexicali, carried out an operation at a property linked to the “Los Rusos” criminal group.

“During the operation, 120 kilos of fentanyl pills were seized, equivalent to more than 4 million doses, in addition to a firearm and vehicles,” added Garcia Harfuch, who noted the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration provided Mexican authorities with information ahead of the raid.

U.S. Northern Command on Tuesday commended the Mexican government’s “success” against Los Rusos, writing on social media the country’s “whole-of-government commitment to countering cartels is reducing illicit trafficking at the Southern Border.”

The Security Cabinet of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday authorities have not identified anything to confirm a risk to the population.

“As a preventative measure, federal, state and municipal authorities are reinforcing patrol and surveillance actions at strategic points in Mexicali,” the cabinet added in a statement .