U.S. Staff in Mexico on Alert

As violence escalates in the Mexican city of Monterrey—once considered one of Latin America’s safest cities—the U.S. government is taking serious safety precautions to keep American citizens safe. The consulate staff there were told to send their children out of the city, which is Mexico's business capital. This news comes just after an apparent kidnap attempt at an elite private school attended by children of the U.S. consulate’s staff. “U.S. government personnel from the consulate general are not permitted to keep their minor dependents in Monterrey,” a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said in Mexico City. “As of September 10, no minor dependents, no children of U.S. government employees will be permitted.” The latest major attack in the city happened August 20, when suspected drug hit men attacked a group of security guards, killing two of them.