The Department of State has travel alerts on its website for 30 of the 32 states in Mexico.
The only two states the U.S. government advises people to exercise normal precautions when traveling in the states of Yucatán and Campeche.
The Department of State asks the public to not travel in the states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas, all with ongoing cartels and organized crime activity.
The government also asks US citizens to "reconsider" if they plan to travel to Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, the State of Mexico, Morelos, Nayarit, Sonora and Zacatecas.
Between those two classifications, of definitely recommending not to travel and reconsidering whether to make travel plans, the State Department includes the entire Mexican border with the United States, except for the narrow strip of the state of Nuevo Leon.
But apart from the recommendations for all those states, the State Department asks citizens to "be more careful when traveling" to Aguas Calientes, Baja California Sur Chiapas, Hidalgo, Mexico City, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tlaxcala and Veracruz.
Therefore, the State Department only recommends "taking normal precautions" when US citizens travel to Yucatan and Campeche, both in southeastern Mexico.
Regardless of whether it is Mexico or other countries, the Department of state issued guidelines that should be taken into account by those traveling to high-risk nations.
"We can't help you in many high-risk areas. This may be due to the lack of a functioning government, the inefficiency or policies of local authorities, armed conflict, or poor governance," the Department of State wrote in a statement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also has a series of practical recommendations when traveling to countries at risk.
The FBI recommends "use authorized taxis, do not travel alone, do not carry amounts of cash, do not neglect your drink, and keep a low profile," among others.
