Mexican Official: US Travel Warning 'ridiculous'

Published February 15, 2012 4:45AM (EST)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's top domestic security official says a U.S. State Department travel warning on almost half of Mexico's states is "ridiculous" and "out of proportion."

Interior Department Alejandro Poire says million of tourists visit Mexico without incident.

Poire told a news conference Tuesday that he believes "these alerts overstate or misstate the standards and security situation that exists in our country."

The State Department issued an updated travel warning Feb. 8 urging travelers to "defer nonessential travel" to 14 of Mexico's 31 states due to drug-related violence that has cost more than 47,500 lives since 2006.

The warning notes "millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year" and resort areas are generally safer.


By Salon Staff

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