Two U.S. minors go missing in northern Mexico

Two U.S. minors have gone missing in northern Mexico. Aranza Yosemiti and Hugo Yarset Monfort Luna, 16 and 9 years old, were last seen last Friday 17th in the Real de San Felipe residential area, in the town of Garcia, east of Monterrey.

The Nuevo Leon State Attorney General's Office activated an Amber Alert, an international missing persons alert system, and the Specialized Immediate Search Group (GEBI) has issued search reports for both minors.

The disappearance of the minors comes a month after three other adult women went missing in the same region of Nuevo Leon. Marina Perez Rios, her sister Martiza Trinidad and Dora Alicia Cervantes Saenz, crossed into Mexico from Penitas (TX) on February 24 to attend a clothing market.

Following this event, and the deadly attack on another group of Americans, the Texas Department of Homeland Security (DPS) has issued several press releases advising Americans not to travel to Mexico during the spring break vacation period. The Texas Department of State raised to level 4 the travel warning against traveling to Mexico.

The main threat comes from criminal groups operating in Mexico with impunity and seeking to collect ransoms. "Drug cartel violence and other criminal activity pose a significant threat to the safety of anyone crossing into Mexico at this time," DPS Director Steven McCraw stated in February.