McAllen to Reynosa

[Mcallen Kid]

[quote=jtur88;8772809]Please ignore people who say Please Don't Go. Mexico is a nice country, and full of nice people. The border cities are pretty unrepresentative of the country, but at least by going there, you will know something. Ignore the people who know nothing.quote]

Im just saying that Mexicos border towns arnt the safest places to be, and i do know, I live less than 10 miles fron the border and have a lot of family over there. They dont feel safe in Reynosa, theyre afraid to go take a walk or get groceries.

[jtur88]

Originally Posted by Mcallen Kid

Im just saying that Mexicos border towns arnt the safest places to be, and i do know, I live less than 10 miles fron the border and have a lot of family over there. They dont feel safe in Reynosa, theyre afraid to go take a walk or get groceries.

Do you know of any people who have actually come to harm, either living in Reynosa, or going over there in the daytime and going to major shopping or business areas?

[elvalle_mayne]

Originally Posted by jtur88

Do you know of any people who have actually come to harm, either living in Reynosa, or going over there in the daytime and going to major shopping or business areas?

Can't speak for the other guy but my dad is a Border Patrol agent. It's slowed down a lot from earlier in the year and 2008 but mostly because of the whole swine flu thing. In the Los Fuentes district their was a broad day shoot out between cartel members and police/mexican military. BP agents have also gotten into plenty of shoot outs with cartel and gang members near the border, mostly at night and in the boonies i.e. Alton. I would say it wouldn't hurt to wait a bit longer before everything is officially clear.

[skyview222]

I DO NOT go to Reynosa. I don't care if it is safe or not (in my opinion for a young, white female its not) It just doesn't have anything worth going to.

Consider Nuevo Progresso. I got there once or twice a year and its probably more of what you are looking for anyway.

[skyview222]

Originally Posted by jtur88

Do you know of any people who have actually come to harm, either living in Reynosa, or going over there in the daytime and going to major shopping or business areas?

Yes. I do. Care stolen during the daytime. Multiple other issues since she must live there...Married to a Mexican and works in US. She doesn't go out alone either.

[Danbo1957]

Reynosa is the headquarters for a section of one of the Mexican cartels; the city can be very dangerous.

[jtur88]

I spent a week in Medellin Colombia, when it was unanimously considered the most dangerous city in the world. During they day it was a wonderful, friendly city with a great South American ambience. You simply do not go out at night in a place like that. But going out at night is not a good idea in ANY big city that you are not familiar with. Especially if you look like you don't know the streets.

[Kalifornian]

A few weeks ago I drove into Reynosa...there was a TANK at the border, and army personnel. I thought, "what's up with that?" (the tank). I have driven into Reynosa and for driving it's not that dangerous, just confusing. It's easy to get lost if you are driving through the city, signs for highways going out of the city are not always clearly marked. The road going out of town toward Monterrey runs alongside a canal, then all of a sudden you must stop and negotiate yourway into traffic to make a left over the canal and then continue on the other side. Reynosa has a Sam's, Home Depot, Walmart type store (Soriana's) and several huge shopping malls. It's not as dangerous as Juarez. For tourists, the town offers very little except numerous pharmacies and low cost dentists. Health care for U.S. citizens who cross over is comparably to be quite cheap.

The last two or three times I've been questioned going back, and the comment usually made is "can't you get that over here?" or "what's there that you can't buy here?". Good, valid points. The point is, why go over in the first place? Matamoros or Progreso or Ciudad Miguel Aleman are much more tourist friendly. Here's the thing: an outbreak of violence can happen anywhere, anytime with no warning and completely randomly. Since the justice dept. is cracking down on pot shipments, meth shipments across the border in this area of sky rocketed.

[djmario_88]

People please. Reynosa is not that dangerous. Especially if you have nothing to do with the drug dealers there. McAllen is a very safe city nothing with do with Reynosa. But Reynosa itself is a nice place to hang out during the day if you are a visitor. The only retards that kill each other are the drug dealers and the drug dealers wanna be. Mexico is not Colombia or Afganistan. I have alot of family in McAllen and I visit there alot and cross the border to Reynosa and Progreso Mexico and its very safe as long as you mind your own business. Again, Reynosa is not Baghdad, Colombia, or Rio de Janeiro.

[Mr. Solis]

I live 1 mile from the border.....and you see stuff everyday here in Mission/McAllen/La Joya, and hear about stuff across the border. There is dangerous stuff going on, but just stay out of it, mind your own business.
The only thing that could happen to a tourist, is like to get kidnapped, or get your car stolen, stuff like that, but chances you'll be the one are very small, very small.

Its funny how you guys like to answer someones question with a bunch of arguing and stuff, pretty entertaining stuff.

You know what I see daily.......a truck being chased by the border patrol or the local pd, being chased because it has like 1,000 pounds of weed in the back, or 14 illegals laying down in the back of the truck, these smugglers turn around sometimes and head for the river, bailing out before the river, or sometimes just driving straight off into the river, getting out and swimming back........and what you get is a lot of car jackings, or thefts, cuz some homie decides he'd like to kill you and try and make the 5 mile drive to the border before the law gets on his tail. There is a lot of home invasions down here, where 4 - 10 masked gunmen break into house late at nights and demand drugs. Besides the car rings, almost all crime down here is directly linked with the cartels, they have a big long totem pole line, from the upper guys who dont do nothing dont show their faces, through the middle ranks, down to the guys who get caught for being the donkeys. I know many guys who work in this trade, they take big time risks, and get paid better than a laborer. They are not dangerous cartel members, they are hired by dangerous cartel members.

Going into Mexico......well now you got to have a visa to get back in, and the mexican pres has sent lots of federal military troops into most border towns to show the cartels that they arent completely in control......hopefully one day, the federal police will have some real control. Like that one dude was saying though, hardly any thing ever happens to tourists, bad stuff happens to those who mess around in the wrong kind of business. The shootouts happen between cartel and federal & local police, and it lasts about 5 minutes, it gets tons of press........hence the people being afraid.