The border town of Ciudad Juarez in the northern state of Chihuahua experienced an especially bloody day last week when fighting between rival drug gangs left 23 people dead in less than 24 hours.
The violence began Wednesday morning when 11 homicides were reported in several working-class neighborhoods in the east and southeast of the city.
The neighborhoods include Del Safari, Parajes de San Isidro, Rincon Del Solar, Riveras del Bravo, Aguilas de Zaragoza, Aztecas, Colinas de Plata, Granjas de Chapultepec and Zaragoza.
Zaragoza is home to the Zaragoza International Bridge, the primary crossing point to El Paso, Texas and many large industrial parks, where a number of multinational corporations maintain manufacturing facilities.
The following day, another 13 people were murdered in the city, with police reporting several having been executed by gunmen.
The violence spurred the deployment of additional state police and National Guard personnel to the city.
The mayor of Juarez, Cruz Perez Cuellar, reported that the killings were related to a dispute between gangs that sell crystal methamphetamine in the city.
Following the violence, police made eight arrests, though they did not announce which gangs were specifically involved.
Juarez is considered contested territory between the Juarez Cartel, its armed wing La Linea, and the Los Cabrera faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The cartels have aligned with several low-level gangs in the city, including Artistas Asesinos, Los Mexicles and Barrio Azteca. Artistas Asesinos and Los Mexicles are believed to be allied with the Sinaloa Cartel, while Barrio Azteca is affiliated with La Linea.
As a major transit point into the United States, Juarez is a hub for human smuggling, drug trafficking, and extortion. The cartels and their street gang cronies routinely fight over territory.
In addition to the violence, Juarez has become the epicenter of kidnapping in Mexico, accounting for nearly 12 percent of all cases reported nationwide in the first quarter of 2025.
At least 95 kidnappings have been reported so far this year in the city, though the actual number is undoubtedly much higher.
Most of the incidents in Juarez involved ransom demands made to victims’ families. Some abductions are carried out by rogue police officers who set up highway checkpoints in the city’s environs to screen for potential victims.
Criminal groups exploit migrants and travelers passing through, viewing them as lucrative targets for ransom.
A recent high-profile incident involved two teenage Americans from Texas who were abducted around 2100 outside a popular bar in Juarez.
The victims were held captive for three days.
The investigation led authorities to a house in South Juarez, where they found not only the two Americans, but also three migrants — a Chinese woman, a woman from southeastern Mexico, and a man from Guatemala.
All three migrants showed signs of physical abuse, including cuts to the ears and bruising around the neck.
Authorities believe the captors inflicted the injuries to pressure family members to pay ransom.
Four suspects were arrested in connection with the case and now face kidnapping charges.
Personnel who must travel to Ciudad Juarez should follow rigorous security precautions and avoid overnight stays.
Those who cross the border daily to work at maquiladoras should travel in inconspicuous vehicles and return to El Paso by early evening.
Senior executives should be provided with security escorts.
With gang attacks on rivals in restaurants not uncommon in Juarez and throughout Mexico, personnel to the degree possible should patronize hotel dining options.
Juarez bars and nightclubs should be avoided entirely.
Kidnapping attempts and extortion threats should be referred to security professionals.
