Mexican President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has claimed that Mexico is safer than the United States amid US travel warnings and reports of violence in his country.
This comes after the recent kidnapping of four Americans in the city of Matamoros.
Despite López Obrador's comments, official data shows that Mexico's nationwide homicide rate is four times higher than that of the US.
On Monday, Mexico's President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, asserted that his country is safer than the United States following criticism of his administration's security record.
López Obrador rejected US official security warnings and US media reports of violence in Mexico, which he believes are part of a conspiracy by conservative politicians and media outlets to smear his administration.
This comes after a deadly kidnapping in Matamoros claimed the lives of two Americans last week.
Despite López Obrador's assurances, three other women from the small Texas town of Peñitas have been missing in Mexico since late February, confirmed by the FBI last week.
The US State Department has six "do not travel" alerts in place for Mexican states, along with "reconsider travel" recommendations for six other states, and "exercise increased caution" advisories for 17 states.
While López Obrador has asserted that Mexico is safe for travel, data shows that the country's nationwide homicide rate is about four times higher than that of the US.