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By Henri Migala
Photos via Twitter
August 13, 2022 (San Diego) – Tijuana is on lockdown tonight amid a wave of violence, arson fires and attacks on bystanders fueled by warring drug cartels. American citizens are urged to avoid the areas and if already there, to seek secure shelter immediately.
US State Department Warning
The U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana issued “emergency information for US citizens” on its website and Twitter account that it "is aware of reports of multiple vehicle fires, roadblocks, and heavy police activity in Tijuana, Mexicali, Rosarito, Ensenada, and Tecate."
State Department employees were instructed “to shelter in place until further notice.”
The warning also advised US citizens to take the following actions:
This warning is especially timely because this weekend is the first weekend of the two-week Baja Beach Fest, held in Rosarito.
Started in Ciudad Juarez
The local incidents reportedly resulted from the violence that broke out in a prison on Thursday in Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso in Texas, between the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Mexicles, a local group. The Sinaloa Cartel was previously led by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
The prison violence spread to the city, where multiple civilians were killed and some of the members of the Mexicles cartel were arrested. Since then, violence has spread to multiple cities across northern Mexico.
Local Battleground in Tijuana
According to CBS News, “the area around Tijuana, which borders southern California, is a lucrative drug-trafficking corridor long dominated by the Arellano Felix cartel but which has since become a battle ground between various gangs, including the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels.”
Borderreport.com ran a story with the headlin,e “Cartel threatens weekend of mass violence in all of Northern Baja,” and reporting that “the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) sent a warning threatening mass violence against anyone roaming the streets this weekend in cities throughout Northern Baja California.
According to the story, the message in Spanish read: “Be warned. As of Friday at 10 p.m. through Sunday at 3 a.m. we’re going to create mayhem so the (expletive) government frees our people. We’re the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, we don’t want to hurt good people but it’s best they don’t go outside, we’re going to attack anyone we see on the streets on these days.”
The cartel that issued the warning is evidently seeking the release of some of its members that are in custody in Mexico. Similar threats and acts of violence have taken place during the last few days in other Mexican cities such as Juarez, Celaya and Guadalajara
During the 6:00 pm news, ABC 10News reported 24 fires in Baja.
Past Shootout
Mexican police and military have been outgunned by cartels in the past and have had to comply with demands of cartels to save lives and property.
The US Embassy and Consulates in Mexico website posted a page titled “Emergency Information for American Citizens,” on August 12, 2022, a warning to US citizens. The warning can be found here:
The US Consulate in Tijuana posted the same message.
Social media users have posted first-hand accounts of terrifying incidents, including public transit set ablaze, hooded men setting occupied private vehicles ablaze and Tijuana streets empty tonight as the city shuts down.
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