Gang Violence Hits Tijuana & Northern Mexican Cities, U.S. Embassy Tells Employees To Shelter In Place

Several northern Mexican cities were hit hard by gang violence this week — drug cartels caused roadblocks, burned vehicles and targeted stores.

On Friday night, the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana stated that they were “aware of reports of multiple vehicle first, roadblocks and heavy police activity in Tijuana, Mexicali, Rosarito, Ensenada and Tecate.” They told employees to “shelter in place until further notice” on Saturday.

It was the third time this week that the cities endured widespread shootings and arson caused by drug cartels.

According to Baja California state officials, 24 vehicles were hijacked and burned throughout the cities.

The federal public safety department said that 17 suspects have been detained, and some of them were identified as members of the Jalisco cartel.

Three thousand soldiers and 2,000 police officers have been deployed across the state, and 350 additional troops also arrived in Tijuana on Saturday. The governor, Marina Del Pilar, promised in a video to “apply all the strength of our Government so that there is peace and we find those responsible for these attacks.”

The mayor of Tijuana, Montserrat Caballero, pleaded with drug cartels to immediately cease the violence in a statement. “Today we are saying to the organized crime groups that are committing these crimes, that Tijuana is going to remain open and take care of its citizens,” he said. “We also ask them to settle their debts with those who didn’t pay what they owe, not with families and hard-working citizens.”

On Saturday, the streets were very empty and most Tijuana shops and universities were closed. Several buses and vans paused service, but many routes resumed later that evening.

U.S. border city Tijuana is notoriously a common drug trafficking route. It was previously dominated by the Arellano Felix cartel, but now several gangs seem to be fighting for control.