22 Key Things to Know About the New U.S. Mexico Travel Warning

3. Specific "Do Not Travel" States: Understanding the Red Zones

The U.S. government explicitly advises Americans not to travel to several states due to crime and kidnapping risks: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. These Level 4 advisories are not arbitrary; they reflect severe security environments where official U.S. government personnel are largely prohibited from traveling. For travelers, this means emergency services and U.S. consular assistance may be severely limited or entirely unavailable, making travel to these regions exceptionally dangerous and ill-advised.