On Friday, April 9th just before midnight, an unknown assailant tossed an explosive device over the wall surrounding the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.? The bomb caused some structural damage to the building, but no employees were injured.? Mexican officials in Mexico City said they were reviewing evidence, including security camera video surveillance recordings.
This attack is another link in an alarming chain of violence against U.S. targets in Mexico.?Last month, a group conspired against U.S. consular workers in Ciudad Juarez who had been attending an engagement together.?Gunmen followed and killed three individuals who had left the gathering, also injuring several of their children who were accompanying them.
The U.S. Department of State has issued an updated travel warning for citizens of the United States in Mexico. The warning was issued to alert travelers to the risks in northern territories of Mexico.?It also noted that drug cartels have retaliated violently against individuals who speak out against them or whom they otherwise view as a threat to their organizations.?The State Department has also authorized approximately 100 family members of employees of the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez to depart Mexico for the United States amid concerns of increased security risk.
In 2008, two men fired shots and threw a grenade – which didn’t explode – at the U.S. consulate in Monterrey. Nobody was hurt in that assault, but the gate was left pockmarked. Five days later gunmen again fired at that consulate.
Many individuals who need to apply for U.S. visas elect to cross the border into northern Mexican cities with U.S. consular posts.?The convenience of the location is a draw for many foreign-born individuals living in the United States who have a need to travel internationally.?Given the increased?security risk and the potential for processing delays, individuals wishing to apply for visas at U.S. consulates in northern Mexico should weigh the risks of delay carefully in making their decision on where to apply for a visa.