U.S. Warns of Risk in Costa Rica

Latin America

Costa Rica: Following the killing of a U.S. citizen last month, the State Department cautioned Americans to avoid travel to the Pavones/Golfito region of Costa Rica. The announcement, in effect until Jan. 26, says U.S. citizens living in that area have been targeted by bands of squatters, operating violently and “with impunity,” who seek to take over their land.

In recent years, Costa Rica has become popular with Americans who move there to work or retire. The Pavones/Golfito region is in the extreme south of the country, not close to major resort areas. The killing of rancher Max Dalton, 78, on Nov. 13 followed a 6-year dispute with squatters who seized part of his 100-acre ranch soon after he bought it in 1991.

Mexico: An American real estate broker was shot to death in a taxi outside his home in an upscale Mexico City neighborhood, becoming the first U.S. fatality in the city’s increasingly violent taxi robberies. Another American was severely beaten in a taxi a few days earlier. In response, the U.S. Embassy “strongly” urged U.S. citizens to use only taxis summoned by phone. Travelers were warned away from taxis in front of nightclubs, restaurants or hotels or those cruising the city. The warning included taxis that congregate at designated sites known as sitios.

Guatemala: A prominent American resident of Guatemala City, the director of a U.S.-owned business, was shot to death in his home last month, the U.S. Embassy reported. In another incident, two Americans were among several bus passengers who were robbed at gunpoint on the Pan American Highway in Guatemala last month. In its standing consular information sheet on Guatemala, the State Department cites a series of crimes against Americans this year, including shootings, kidnappings, rapes and violent assaults, many of them directed against groups of tourists.

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Egypt: The terrorist group that killed 62 people, most of them foreign tourists, near Luxor last month may be planning attacks “against U.S. interests” around the country, the State Department warned. Egyptian tourism officials reported that hotel occupancy plunged from 70% to about 18% after the massacre.

The U.S. State Department offers recorded travel warnings and advisories at (202) 647-5225; the fax line is (202) 647-3000. Internet address: https://travel.state.gov.