Mexican president says his country is safer than the U.S. amid criticism over kidnappings

MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on Monday his country is safer than the U.S. amid criticism of security in Mexico following the kidnapping earlier this month of four Americans in northern Mexico in which two of them were killed.

“Mexico is safer than the United States. There’s no problem with traveling safely around Mexico,” he told a news conference in response to a question about U.S. travel warnings for Mexico.

López Obrador said American tourists and Mexicans living in the U.S. were well informed about the country’s safety, citing a recent rise in Americans residing in Mexico.

Criticism of the country’s handling of crime was part of an “anti-Mexico” campaign by conservative U.S politicians, who wanted to impede the country’s development, he argued.

Murder rates were around four times higher in Mexico than in the United States in 2020, according to data published by the World Bank.

The U.S. embassy in Mexico did not immediately respond to a request for comment.