U.S. CONSULATE ISSUES NEW TRAVEL WARNING TO MATAMOROS

Location: Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico

Event: On Monday, March 24, 2025, expect increased security personnel presence and potential delays on all bridges connecting Matamoros, Tamaulipas, to Brownsville, Texas, including Gateway International Bridge (Puente Nuevo). As a precaution, the U.S. Consulate has advised employees to avoid travel on Gateway International Bridge and allow extra time for all border crossings.

The State Department’s Travel Advisory for Tamaulipas is Level 4 – Do Not Travel Due to Crime and Kidnapping.

Actions to Take:Postpone non-essential travel for after March 24.
Plan for longer border crossing times.
Monitor local media for updates.
Be aware of your surroundings.
Notify friends and family of your safety.

Tamaulipas state – Do Not Travel

Do not travel due to crime and kidnapping.

Organized crime activity – including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault – is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria. Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments.

Heavily armed members of criminal groups often patrol areas of the state and operate with impunity particularly along the border region from Reynosa to Nuevo Laredo. In these areas, local law enforcement has limited capacity to respond to incidents of crime. Law enforcement capacity is greater in the tri-city area of Tampico, Ciudad Madero, and Altamira, which has a lower rate of violent criminal activity compared to the rest of the state. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping. 

Travel for U.S. government employees is limited to the following areas with the noted restrictions:Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo: U.S. government employees may only travel within a limited radius around and between the U.S. Consulates in Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros, their homes, the respective U.S. Ports of Entry, and limited downtown sites, subject to an overnight curfew.
Overland travel in Tamaulipas: U.S. government employees may not travel between cities in Tamaulipas using interior Mexican highways. Travel between Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey is limited to Federal Highway 85D during daylight hours with prior authorization.

To view a map of the restricted areas, visit https://mx.usembassy.gov/maps-of-restricted-areas

U.S. government employees may not travel to other parts of Tamaulipas state.