# U.S. Lifts Shelter-in-Place Order for Government Staff in Matamoros, but Tamaulipas Stays at 'Do Not Travel,' Fox News Reports

The order across from Brownsville followed two arrests that set off roadblocks. Mexico sent 450 troops and two helicopters. The State Department still rates the state Level 4 for terrorism, crime and kidnapping.

- Section: [Border & Security](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/border-security/)
- Published: 2026-11-03
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/us-lifts-shelter-in-place-matamoros-tamaulipas-stays-do-not-travel-gulf-cartel-fox-news/

U.S. officials have lifted a shelter-in-place order for government employees in Matamoros, Mexico, but are still telling Americans not to travel there, Fox News reports.

The order. It applied to U.S. government employees in Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas. Fox says the U.S. Mission to Mexico stated on Oct. 30 that the law enforcement activity behind the order had subsided.

What set it off. Fox says two arrests in Matamoros prompted roadblocks across the state of Tamaulipas, according to Mexican authorities. In an Oct. 30 statement, Mexican officials identified one suspect as Axel Alfredo "N," the alleged second-in-command of the Gulf Cartel's Los Ciclones faction. They linked him to homicides, kidnappings, extortion, fuel theft and cross-border trafficking, and to a May 2026 attack on federal security officers that left one dead and several injured.

Mexico's response. The Ministry of National Defense deployed 450 personnel and two helicopters to Matamoros and nearby municipalities, according to the statement as Fox translated it, to strengthen security forces' presence and expand surveillance.

The advisory. Tamaulipas remains under the State Department's highest travel advisory, Level 4, "Do Not Travel," because of terrorism, crime and kidnapping. Officials told Americans in Matamoros to monitor local media, be aware of their surroundings and tell friends and family they are safe.

A similar alert. Fox notes the State Department issued a comparable alert in August, temporarily suspending government activity and travel to Mexicali after information about a possible armed attack on law enforcement facilities by a group called Los Rusos.

Related. Our earlier reports covered the closure of Texas international bridges after the Matamoros arrest and the death of a 7-year-old Brownsville girl.

What we could not check. This is a travel-advisory story, and we have not seen the U.S. Mission notice or the Mexican statement. Fox does not say whether the roadblocks have been cleared.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/travel/americans-urged-avoid-dangerous-mexican-border-state-despite-us-lifting-shelter-order)