Mexican president claims country ‘safer’ than US following death and kidnappings of Americans

Mexico’s president claimed on Monday that his country was safer than the United States in response to criticism of the country’s security, especially for tourists.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said during a news conference, “Mexico is much safer than the United States. There is no problem traveling safely around Mexico.”

Obrador’s comments come just a week after the recovery of four Americans who were abducted from Brownsville, Texas, in the northern border state of Tamaulipas along the Rio Grande, resulting in the deaths of two of them.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during a ceremony to celebrate the Zocalo, Mexico City’s main square, August 13, 2021. (AP)

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But the Mexican president said Mexico is completely safe for Mexicans and Americans and claimed recent criticism was directed from “anti-Mexico” conservative lawmakers seeking to block development in their southern neighbor.

However data collected by the World Bank in 2020 suggested the murder rate in Mexico was four times higher than in the US, Reuters previously reported.

The State Department currently assesses six Mexican states that have Level 4 travel advisory concerns — meaning areas with “higher potential for life-threatening risks”: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas, all high crime Because of the risk of and almost all with a high risk of kidnapping.

“Violent crime and gang activity are widespread,” the department warned, saying of one area. “Most assassinations are targeted killings against members of criminal organizations.”

Police officers watch at the scene where officers found the bodies of two of the four Americans kidnapped by gunmen on March 7, 2023 in Matamoros, Mexico. (Reuters/Daniel Becquerel)

Tamaulipas is the state where four Americans were allegedly kidnapped after being mistaken for Haitian smugglers, and maintains a tier-four red-flag advisory, preventing Americans from traveling to any area under this classification. Strongly advises not to do it.

Travel experts have advised Fox News Digital that it is safe to travel to Mexico as long as tourists follow travel guidelines issued by the State Department.

Top travel destinations like the state of Quintana Roo, with places like Cancun and Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula, are safe for American tourists because the State Department has issued only a yellow flag travel advisory — meaning it tells Americans to “exercise increased caution.” gives advice. While traveling there, mainly due to kidnapping and theft.

Mexican Army soldiers prepare a search mission for four US citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamoros, Mexico, Monday, March 6, 2023. (AP Photo)

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Other top world destinations such as France and the United Kingdom also have tier-two yellow-flag advisories due to concerns over terrorism.

Stephanie Farr, founder and CEO of Maya Luxe, an expert on tourist safety in Mexico, told Fox News Digital that tourist destinations like Cancun “are generally considered very safe.”

Bathers enjoy Forum Beach as tourism returns to the city during Holy Week on April 3, 2021 in Cancun, Mexico. (Medios y Media/Getty Images)

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The one piece of advice she always gives to tourists traveling to Mexico is to “avoid getting involved in any kind of drug-related activity.”

Farr said that areas popular with travelers often “thrive from tourism.”

“It is in their interest to keep the destination safe so that more tourists can come,” he added.

Fox News’ Peter Aitken contributed to this article.