I have relatives who have lived in Mexico all their lives and they’re not immune. Once the inter-city bus they were on was held up and everyone was robbed. Another time criminals stopped every car going down a certain city in Mexico City and robbed every car that passed at gunpoint. Another distant relative was kidnapped and held for ransom. Plus, there’s constant corruption. The cop who wants a bribe just to do their job, the protection racket affecting most of the stores, etc.

They don’t feel unsafe in their day-to-day lives. But, they take precautions in their day-to-day lives that I don’t have to take. Every one of them has at least one story where they were the victim of a crime where there was at least a threat of violence.

It definitely doesn’t stop me from going to Mexico. I love the country. But, when I’m there, I take precautions that I wouldn’t take back home.