On Monday, Mexico’s president countered U.S. critics of his security record after a lethal kidnapping earlier this month near the border, which resulted in the death of two Americans, by stating that his country is safer than the United States.

The abduction of four Americans in the Mexican city of Matamoros on March 3, followed by a fatal attack, received significant coverage in the U.S. media and prompted criticism from politicians in the United States, particularly from Republicans, Yahoo News reported.

After the abduction, Mexican authorities eventually located the Americans, but unfortunately, two of them were already deceased. Subsequently, five individuals alleged to be members of a Mexican drug cartel have been apprehended for their involvement in the kidnapping.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has dismissed official security warnings from the U.S. that portray much of Mexico as a dangerous destination for visitors.

He also threatened to encourage Mexican-Americans not to vote for Republican candidates if they persist in their criticism of his country’s security record.

“Mexico is safer than the United States,” he told reporters when questioned about the warnings at a news conference. “There’s no problem with traveling safely around Mexico.”

President Lopez Obrador highlighted that American tourists and Mexican expatriates were already aware of how safe Mexico is and cited an increase in the number of Americans residing in Mexico as evidence.

He also noted that there was a significant rise in the number of U.S. tourists visiting Mexico last year, as reported by Yahoo News.

President Lopez Obrador attributed negative reports about security in Mexico to an “anti-Mexico” campaign by conservative U.S politicians.

Written by staff