FORT HUACHUCA RESTRICTS TRAVEL TO MEXICO

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. As of Tuesday, 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. Another 11,000 or
so family members, civilian staffers and contractors at the fort are
"strongly urged" not to visit Mexican cities such as Naco, Agua Prieta
and Nogales, a popular shopping, dining and nightlife destination. 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 own
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. "We are constantly monitoring this situation in the interest
of protecting our people," Linton said. 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 outright
from traveling to numerous Mexican border cities, including Nogales.
Travel restrictions are set by installation commanders and vary with
local conditions, Linton said. Fort Huachuca's new restrictions could
be tightened further or eased if warranted, she said. In May 2007, for
example, Fort Huachuca banned its soldiers from Mexico for a week
after violence erupted in the town of Cananea. More recently, the fort
has allowed cross-border travel with approval from lower-level
commanders. Drug-cartel-fueled violence has reached unprecedented
levels this year in the state of Sonora and specifically in Nogales,
where official government figures show homicides have tripled in
recent years.

Nearly 100 killings have occurred so far 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. 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, owner of Desert Divers, which
leads scuba-diving and snorkeling excursions to San Carlos, Sonora,
every other week year-round. Longtime visitors to Mexico still come,
he said, but first-timers are being scared off by the bad press.
Sonora tourism already was declining due to the economic slump in the
United States, he said. Now "the hotels are empty.

The restaurants are empty." Epifanio Salido Pavlovich, the 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,
Salido said. Plus, he said, officials have amped up patrols on state
highways to keep everyone safe during the holidays. "Not one single
tourist has had problems in the state of Sonora," Salido said in
Spanish. "And we are going to great efforts to make sure no one is
affected." Did you know The U.S. State Department's most recent travel
alert for Mexico mentions Nogales twice. The section on border
violence notes that: "Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, and Nogales are among
the cities which have recently experienced public shootouts during
daylight hours in shopping centers and other public venues.

Criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in their
vehicles in border areas including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, Tijuana, and
along Route 15 between Nogales and Hermosillo."

Killings climb

Premeditated homicides in Sonora
2008 358*
2007 307
2006 238

Premeditated homicides in Nogales
2008 99*
2007 52
2006 35

*Through the end of November

Source: Sonoran state government