Okay, things must be pretty bad if they are keeping the Marines out due to dangerous conditions. I know we have many Texans on these boards. I wondered what you folks thought of the situation?

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Jan. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. Marines in Southern California must stay clear of Tijuana, Mexico, and other nearby "R&R" spots due to Mexican violence, a Marine Corps officer ordered.

Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland's order restricts travel by the 44,000 members of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton, about 50 miles north of the border city.

The limits, first put in place around Christmas, are now indefinite, a military spokesman said.

"The situation in Mexico is now more dangerous than usual," civilian public information officer Mike Alvarez told USA Today.

"The intent is just to look out for the Marines' safety and well-being," he said.

Many of the Marines have had multiple tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones, USA Today observed.

Tijuana, just south of San Diego, has been hit hard by drug violence. The city saw its bloodiest year ever in 2008, with 843 killings, compared with 337 the previous year, USA Today said.

"There have been incidents from time to time" involving Marines getting in trouble in Tijuana, Alvarez said, but he did not know how many got in trouble.

Helland's order requires a lieutenant colonel or higher-ranking officer to give written approval for cross-border travel -- whether for official business, to visit family or for free time, known in the military as rest and relaxation or R&R.

Marines venturing over the border also must complete antiterrorism training, receive a military security briefing and travel with someone else 18 or older, Helland's order said.

As a vet I can understand it.

another reason for a bigger fence

Bigger Fence? Anyhow, Our President spoke with the President of Mexico but that is the extent of my knowledge. Does anyone know what they discussed and if was one of the issues.
Things must be horrible there for that order. Drug Violence? Sounds more like a Drug War.

more people have been killed in the drug war in Juarez in the last five years than all the military casualties in Iraq

I won't go to mexico anymore

Thanks for the reply quiet I know you are in the area.

Do you feel this violence is getting the attention it needs? Do you feel unsafe on the US side of the border?

I guess I am looking for a locals take on this because I find it interesting and given the level of violence so close to our border I feel it might be under reported in the national media.

Then again many important news stories are.

absolutely not. its not politically correct to report on the drug war in Mexico.

The fighting is between the Tijuana and the Juarez and the Sinaloa cartels.

and there have been something like 200 incidences of firefights between Border Patrol and Mexican military on US soil in the last five years