Mexico is safer than the US, according to the president of Mexico

Mexico is a safer country than the United States, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador argued on Monday, weeks after the high-profile kidnapping of four Americans drew global attention to the country's security crisis. The kidnapped Americans were traveling in the Mexican border city of Matamoros in early March when they came under attack by gunmen believed to be linked to the Gulf cartel. On Friday, the Texas Department of Public Safety advised that residents avoid travel to Mexico during spring break, citing the risk of cartel violence.Lopez Obrador cited his country's popularity with American tourists and expats, who have descended upon popular coastal areas as well as Mexico City in recent years to take advantage of the warmer weather and cheaper cost of living. He also claimed there was a campaign against Mexico from conservative US politicians that don't want the country to keep developing for the good of the Mexican people. Mexico's overall homicide rate is among the highest in the world, and the country has been troubled by an epidemic of disappearances with more than 100,000 Mexicans and migrants still missing.

Accusations of inaction and corruption against Mexican officials have also eroded public trust. The US State Department has "do not travel" advisories in place for six of Mexico's 32 states, including northeast Tamaulipas state, where Matamoros is located. Canada and the United Kingdom also have detailed travel warnings for Mexico. Six people have been arrested in relation to the deadly Matamoros kidnapping, and Mexico has dispatched hundreds of security forces to the area. However, the incident has sparked ongoing tension between the Mexican president and US officials.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, is planning to introduce legislation that would designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and authorize the US military to operate in Mexico to dismantle drug labs. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador described the notion as an "offense to the people of Mexico" and a "lack of respect for our independence."