The state government, headed by David Monreal Ávila, criticized the “travel alert” issued by the United States Department of State last week, which recommends its citizens reconsider travel to Zacatecas and other states “due to alleged security risks.” According to the Morena administration, “according to statistics from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP), Zacatecas consolidated its position as the third safest state in the country in July 2025.”
However, the Zacatecas government takes into account only one indicator: the reduction in intentional homicides last July, where the state ranks third, “below only Yucatán and Coahuila.” However, the Monreal administration does not take into account other high-impact crimes, such as forced disappearances and extortion, where the state continues to have high incidence rates.
In a statement, the state government maintains that, last July, “Zacatecas recorded seven intentional homicides, equivalent to 0.3 percent of the national total, a figure much lower than that recorded by neighboring states and by states with the highest crime rates, where up to 182 cases were recorded in the same period.”
“This achievement is historic when compared to the situation in 2021, when Zacatecas ranked among the top places in insecurity and closed the year with more than 1,700 intentional homicides.”
However, in issuing its travel alert to Mexico, issued as a warning to its citizens, the U.S. State Department includes Zacatecas among the five most dangerous states at this time, along with Tamaulipas, Sinaloa, Michoacán, and Guerrero.
In this context, the population of Zacatecas has seen an increase in the number of missing and unaccounted for persons during the administration of David Monreal Ávila, whose term began in 2021.
According to a report by Red Lupa (Lupa Network) of the Mexican Institute of Human Rights and Democracy (A.C.), as of May 15, 2025, the state has accumulated 3,889 cases of missing persons reported to the Zacatecas Attorney General’s Office, of which 351 are minors.
Among the cities, Fresnillo has the highest number of cases, with 946, while in the metropolitan area of the state capital and the municipality of Guadalupe, there are 713 cases.
Just last year, 2024, the annual cumulative number of missing persons was the highest, with 714 cases. However, with the current trend (the cutoff date was last May 15, three months ago), 649 cases had already been recorded in 2025.
“The last three years have seen the highest totals of missing persons recorded in the state of Zacatecas. If the trend continues, 2025 could see a number similar to those seen in recent years,” warns Red Lupa.
It also specifies that 67 percent of the cases of missing and missing persons in Zacatecas are between the ages of 15 and 39… and “there are 210 cases without a reference age.”
It is also reported that Zacatecas ranks 11th in the country among the states with “the highest number of missing girls and women,” with 587 cases.
Source: jornada
