U.S. officials have ended a shelter-in-place order for government employees in Matamoros, Mexico, while continuing to advise Americans against traveling to the area.
Matamoros lies across the border from Brownsville, Texas. The U.S. Mission to Mexico said Oct. 30 that the law enforcement activity behind the order had eased.
Tamaulipas, the state where Matamoros is located, remains under the State Department’s highest travel warning, Level 4: Do Not Travel. The advisory cites terrorism, crime and kidnapping risks.
The shelter order was issued after two arrests in Matamoros led Mexican authorities to establish roadblocks across the state. Officials identified one of those arrested as Axel Alfredo “N,” who they allege was the second-in-command of the Gulf Cartel’s Los Ciclones faction.
Authorities said the suspect was linked to homicides, kidnappings, extortion, fuel theft and cross-border trafficking. They also connected him to a May 2026 attack on federal security officers that killed one person and injured several others.
Mexico’s Ministry of National Defense sent 450 personnel and two helicopters to Matamoros and nearby municipalities. Officials said the deployment was intended to increase security forces’ presence, expand surveillance and strengthen their ability to respond.
After lifting the order, U.S. officials advised Americans in Matamoros to follow local news, stay alert to their surroundings and let friends and family know they are safe.
The warning follows a similar alert in August, when U.S. officials temporarily halted government activities and travel in Mexicali, another border city more than 1,000 miles northwest of Matamoros. That alert came after officials received information about a possible armed attack on law enforcement facilities by Los Rusos, a criminal group.
