Rising drug violence in Mexico’s border region has prompted southern Arizona’s largest military installation to issue new restrictions on troop travel and a warning to military families and civilian staffers to stay away.
Now nearly 7,000 troops at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista must get prior approval from the Army post’s top brass to cross the border. Violators would be subject to military discipline.
In addition, about 11,000 family members, civilians and contractors at the fort are “strongly urged” not to visit Mexican cities such as Naco, Agua Prieta and Nogales - a popular shopping and nightlife destination.
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Drug-cartel-fueled violence has reached unprecedented levels this year in the state of Sonora and specifically in Nogales, where government figures show homicides have tripled in recent years. Nearly 100 killings have occurred this year, up from 52 in 2007 and 35 in 2006.
The violence is attributed to an ongoing battle between drug cartels for the corridor - the most desired piece of real estate along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Fort Huachuca’s travel restrictions are less severe than those at Fort Hood in central Texas, the nation’s largest Army post, where soldiers are banned from traveling to numerous Mexican border cities, including Nogales.
The Army can’t legally stop family members and civilian workers from visiting Mexico, but it is warning them not to do so for their safety, said Tanja Linton, a spokeswoman for Fort Huachuca. The post is about 75 miles southeast of Tucson and less than 20 miles from Mexico.
Travel restrictions are set by installation commanders and vary with local conditions, she said. Fort Huachuca’s new restrictions could be tightened further or eased if warranted.
In May 2007, for example, Fort Huachuca banned its soldiers from Mexico for a week after violence erupted in the town of Cananea.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s campaign to weaken the cartels by putting federal and state police along known drug-smuggling routes and trying to snuff out corruption has added fuel to the fire.
Recent bloodshed has landed Nogales on the U.S. State Department’s Mexico travel alert. The alert, which warns travelers about dangerous situations but doesn’t instruct them not to go, mentions Nogales alongside notoriously dangerous border cities such as Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana and Nuevo Laredo.
One tourism operator said the Army memo likely will fuel public fear of travel to Mexico.
“Anytime you’ve got the government and press telling people it’s unsafe, most Americans are going to err on the side of caution,” said Mike Huhn, who leads scuba-diving and snorkeling excursions to San Carlos, Sonora, year-round.
Longtime visitors to Mexico still come, he said, but first-timers are being scared off by the bad news.
Sonora tourism already was declining because of the economic slump in the United States, he said. Now “the hotels are empty. The restaurants are empty.”
Epifanio Salido Pavlovich, director of the Sonora Office of Tourism, called the Army memo worrisome and takes exception to the notion that tourists are in danger. The killings are occurring between drug cartels and law enforcement, Mr. Salido said. Plus, he said, officials have ramped up patrols on state highways to keep everyone safe during the holidays.
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