US orders Americans not to travel to Mexico district after violent reaction to arrest of suspected cartel boss
At least one person not involved with the cartels was killed in the shootout
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The US State Department has issued a travel advisory for the state of Tamaulipas in Mexico following an outbreak of violence near the US consulate in Nuevo Laredo.
The consulate was forced to close for a short time on Monday after a gunfight broke out over the arrest of alleged Cartel Del Noreste drug cartel leader Juan Gerardo Trevino.
Mr Trevino, also known as "El Huevo”, is facing extradition to the US, according to Reuters. He is charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, and state-level charges for murder, terrorism, extortion and criminal association.
According to Ricardo Meija, Mexico's assistant secretary of public safety, Mr Trevino is a US citizen, and was deported from Mexico on Tuesday. He was handed over to US authorities at a border bridge in Tijuana.
Mr Trevino is reportedly the nephew of Miguel Angel Trevino, the now-imprisoned former leader of Los Zetas drug cartel. Cartel Del Noreste is believed to be the successor cartel to Los Zetas.
On Monday the consulate advised its employees to stay inside and urged Americans to leave or avoid the region.
"The Department of State authorized the departure of non-emergency US government personnel and eligible family members from the U.S. Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo due to security conditions," the US State Department said in a statement.
"As of March 15, the Department of State is not able to offer routine consular services from the US Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo," the department statement continued. "US citizens wishing to depart Nuevo Laredo should monitor local news and announcements and only do so when considered safe during daylight hours."
According to a senior official in Tamaulipas, there was one "collateral" fatality caused by the shootout.
The violence was reportedly a battle between competing cartel factions.
US Representative Henry Cuellar, whose hometown is Laredo, Texas, which sits across the border from Nuevo Laredo, told Border Report that the violence was triggered because “one group is not happy because they got their leader and the other two groups are saying ‘Is there a vacuum here because we might need to come in?'”
"I have raised our grave concerns about these incidents and the safety and security of our employees directly with the government of Mexico," US Ambassador Ken Salazar said in a statement on Monday.
Tamaulipas' state forensic service reported that over the course of several years it located more than a dozen "extermination sites" where the remains of nearly 100,000 missing Mexicans had been disposed and destroyed.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments