Is Juárez Safe for Americans? El Paso Border Crossing, Advisory and Cartel News (2026)

Is Ciudad Juárez–El Paso border crossing safe to visit? Here is the current U.S. State Department advisory for the state it’s in, official safety guidance, which criminal groups are reported in the area, and our latest coverage. Conditions change; check the full advisory before you travel.

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Top photo: Interstate 10, the Rio Grande, El Paso and Ciudad Juárez from the UTEP campus. Photo: David Herrera from Albuquerque, NM, Bernalillo, CC BY 2.0 (license), via Wikimedia Commons.

U.S. travel advisory for Chihuahua

Level 3: Reconsider travel (Mexico advisory issued 2026-05-29).

Reconsider travel due to terrorism, crime, and kidnapping.

Read the full advisory at travel.state.gov

Criminal groups reported in Chihuahua

• Sinaloa Cartel: reported presence, contested (as of 2026) [InSight Crime]
• Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG): reported presence, contested (as of 2026) [InSight Crime]
• Juárez Cartel / La Línea: reported presence, contested (as of 2026) [InSight Crime]
• Tren de Aragua: reported presence (as of 2025) [Transparencia Venezuela, 2025-04]
• Cártel del Noreste (CDN): reported presence (as of 2026) [InSight Crime]
• MS-13: historical presence reported (as of 2008) [U.S. Department of Justice (EOIR)]

Reported presence is state-wide and as stated by each source; it doesn’t describe any specific neighborhood or tourist zone.

Recent incidents

Notable security incidents reported in or near Ciudad Juárez–El Paso border crossing since 2024, newest first. An incident list is not a measure of risk to visitors.

• 2026-09-16: Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez pleaded guilty in El Paso federal court to conspiring to smuggle migrants through the Juarez-El Paso tunnel; intercepted calls showed migrants were charged upwards of $30,000 to use it, and he faces up to 10 years in prison. (1 arrested) [U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, 2026-09]
• 2026-09-08: Mexican Army and National Guard troops, acting with U.S. intelligence support, arrested Epifanio N., known as Pepa and accused of leading La Línea regionally, along with his son in Ojinaga; a building, five firearms, 400 rounds of ammunition and two vehicles were seized. (2 arrested) [El Paso Times (Gannett), 2026-09-09]
• 2026-08-07: Adrian Alexis C.B., known as El Fantasma and accused of leading La Linea on the Chihuahua-Texas border, was arrested August 7, 2026 in Aldama after an August 4 attack on state police; authorities seized 5 long guns, 15 magazines and 1,080 rounds of ammunition, but he was released the next day on a simple marijuana-possession charge. (1 arrested) [XJuarez, 2026-08]
• 2025-11-01: Over roughly a week, CBP officers seized about 263 kilograms of narcotics — approximately 81 kilograms of cocaine, 11 kilograms of fentanyl, 129 kilograms of methamphetamine and 42 kilograms of marijuana — in seven vehicles at the Santa Teresa, Paso del Norte, Bridge of the Americas and Ysleta ports of entry. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 2025-11-06]
• 2025-10-06: Mexican forces arrested three suspected members of a La Empresa criminal cell in Ciudad Juárez, seized 38 firearms, and freed three migrants from Tlaxcala and Puebla who were allegedly being held for ransom. (3 arrested) [Border Report (Nexstar), 2025-10-06]
• 2025-09-19: Four members of a family, including two teenagers, were killed in an armed attack on their home in Rancho Anapra, Ciudad Juarez, in the early hours of September 19, 2025; a woman was wounded and hospitalized in delicate condition. Authorities did not immediately establish a motive. (4 killed) [TV Azteca Chihuahua (aztecachihuahua.com), 2025-09-19]
• 2025-08-11: Two Ciudad Juárez municipal police officers and an alleged La Línea leader for whom they were accused of providing protection were shot and killed in the city. (3 killed) [Border Report (Nexstar), 2025-10-06]
• 2025-07-18: CBP officers stopped a pedestrian at the Bridge of the Americas carrying about 132 grams of fentanyl concealed internally. (1 arrested) [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 2025-07-21]
• 2025-05-12: CBP officers arrested a pedestrian at the Bridge of the Americas after finding about 40 grams of powdered fentanyl and 57 grams of fentanyl pills concealed internally. (1 arrested) [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 2025-05-13]
• 2025-04-13: CBP officers at the Paso del Norte and Ysleta ports seized fentanyl and methamphetamine over a weekend, stopping nine suspected internal body carriers. (9 arrested) [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 2025-04-14]
• 2025-03-18: Three Mexican National Guard troops died in an incident near the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juárez that reportedly involved an accidental weapon discharge followed by a vehicle crash. (3 killed) [The Chihuahua Post, 2025-03-20]
• 2025-02-20: Eduardo 'Tablas' Ravelo, identified by prosecutors as a Barrio Azteca gang leader, was extradited from Mexico to El Paso and later pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and murder charges tied to the 2010 killings of U.S. consulate employees in Ciudad Juárez. (1 arrested) [U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, 2025-07]
• 2025-02-13: Mexican federal forces arrested Humberto Rivera, known as El Viejón and accused of leading a Sinaloa Cartel faction in the Valley of Juárez, in Ciudad Juárez and flew him to Mexico City for extradition proceedings. (1 arrested) [Akron Beacon Journal (Gannett), 2025-02-17]
• 2025-01-27: Shots were fired from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande at U.S. Border Patrol agents near San Elizario, roughly 7.5 miles east of the Ysleta port of entry; agents returned fire, no one was injured, and Mexican military personnel responded to the scene. [Akron Beacon Journal (Gannett), 2025-01-30]
• 2025-01: In January 2025 federal law enforcement located a sophisticated smuggling tunnel between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso; the FBI later said the tunnel was constructed by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel to smuggle humans, drugs and firearms. [U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, 2026-09]

Showing 15 of 16 incidents on record.

Practical safety tips

• On July 16, 2026 the United States designated the Juarez Cartel and Los Viagras as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists; the State Department determination was dated July 2, 2026. [SRN News (Associated Press), 2026-07-16]
• The State Department's Overseas Security Advisory Council assesses Ciudad Juárez as a critical-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests, with the threat from political violence rated high. [U.S. Department of State, OSAC, 2025-12]
• In March 2025 the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City issued a Mexico-wide spring-break security alert advising Americans to travel smart, stay informed, and recognize that violent crime can occur anywhere in the country, including Chihuahua border cities. [SanDiegoRed, 2025-03-07]
• In February 2025 Mexico began deploying the first of 10,000 National Guard troops to the northern border under Operation Northern Border; about 1,650 were expected in Ciudad Juárez, making it one of the largest recipients of the reinforcements. [Akron Beacon Journal (Gannett), 2025-02-06]
• The U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juárez is located at Paseo de la Victoria 3650, Fracc. Partido Senecú, 32543 Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and can be reached at 656-227-3000 from Mexico or 011-52-656-227-3000 from the United States. [U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico]
• U.S. citizens in Mexico who need emergency assistance outside business hours — including serious injury, arrest, or immediate distress — can call 55-2579-2000 from Mexico, or 011-52-55-2579-2000 or +1-301-985-8843 from the United States. [U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico]
• Mexico's single national emergency number is 911: the U.S. Embassy advises travelers to call 911 to report crimes in progress or to request police, ambulance, or fire services anywhere in Mexico, including Ciudad Juárez. [U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico]
• Mexico's Ángeles Verdes highway patrol offers free roadside assistance and tourist support on major highways; travelers can reach it by dialing 078. [Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE), 2023-05]
• CBP's El Paso port traveler information line is (915) 730-7000, and its port operations center, available 24 hours, is (915) 730-7351; questions about seizures or penalties can be emailed to fpfelpaso@cbp.dhs.gov. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection]

Crossing the border here

• The Bridge of the Americas between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for vehicle and pedestrian traffic. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection]
• The Paso del Norte crossing between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and offers a dedicated SENTRI trusted-traveler lane for enrolled low-risk travelers. [Texas Border Business, 2023-11]
• The Stanton Street crossing operates a dedicated SENTRI lane for enrolled trusted travelers; CBP lists regular Stanton SENTRI service hours as 6 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 8 a.m. to midnight on weekends. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 2018-11-02]
• The Ysleta port of entry between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and its SENTRI trusted-traveler lane is staffed around the clock. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection]
• The Marcelino Serna (Tornillo–Guadalupe) port of entry, about 20 miles east of El Paso, is open for vehicle and pedestrian traffic from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM Mountain time, seven days a week; its commercial facility operates 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection]
• CBP encourages travelers at El Paso-area crossings to obtain RFID-equipped documents such as U.S. passport cards or newer border crossing cards so they can use designated Ready Lanes, which process vehicles faster than standard lanes. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 2021-12]

Check CBP border wait times before you go.

Groups reported around Ciudad Juárez–El Paso border crossing

• The U.S. Treasury describes La Línea as the former armed wing of the Juárez Cartel that now operates in Ciudad Juárez, taxing other trafficking groups through the Juárez Valley and, since September 2023, sourcing cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. [U.S. Department of the Treasury, 2024-10]
• Sinaloa-linked networks remain active around Ciudad Juárez: in February 2025 Mexican forces arrested a man accused of being the cartel's regional boss in the Valley of Juárez, and a 2025 crime-research report notes Sinaloa-linked groups such as the Mexicles and Artistas Asesinos selling cocaine and methamphetamine on the city's outskirts. [Akron Beacon Journal (Gannett), 2025-02-17]
• Investigators tied the Jalisco New Generation Cartel to the January 2025 smuggling tunnel between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, and the U.S. Treasury says the cartel has supplied cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl to La Línea since September 2023. [FOX 7 Austin, 2026-09-16]
• Barrio Azteca is identified by U.S. prosecutors as a transnational gang allied with La Línea to control the Juárez drug-trafficking plaza, while InSight Crime lists the splinter group La Empresa among the Juárez Cartel offshoots active in the city. [U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, 2025-07]

Latest coverage

• 82,785 U.S. Guns Traced in Mexico, $126 Million Spent — and Agencies Can’t Say What Works: GAO Flags Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, as Cartel Gun Sources Sep 30, 2026
• $900 a Child, THC Gummies to Keep Them Quiet: Juárez Couple Extradited to El Paso, Texas, Accused of Smuggling Kids Ages 5 to 13 Across the Border Sep 29, 2026
• Carvel Gas Stations Sealed, a Hangar and a Juárez Garbage Firm Seized: Chihuahua Fuel Boss Held 60 Hours in Federal Huachicol Probe With No Charges Announced Sep 27, 2026
• Border bus passenger held with 9,300 rounds and gun parts entering Juárez Sep 21, 2026

Read our latest stories about Ciudad Juárez →

Last reviewed: September 30, 2026. Territory, leadership and advisories change; tell us about errors via our corrections page.