US Restricts Government Travel in Nogales Following Security Threat Alert

The U.S. government has restricted official activities and travel in Nogales, Sonora, to essential movements during daylight hours after receiving threat information, according to a September 5 security alert issued by the U.S. Consulate General in Nogales. The consulate said government activities and travel had been restricted to “essential movement during daylight hours only.” 

The alert did not identify the nature of the threat. Sonora’s State Security Board said it contacted the consulate, which confirmed the restrictions but provided no specific information establishing a concrete danger to the general public, according to the board’s response.

Americans in the area were advised to remain aware of their surroundings, seek shelter if an incident occurs, notify family and friends of their safety, follow Mexican law enforcement instructions, and monitor local news for updates, according to the alert.

Sonora authorities said security agencies at all three levels of government would continue surveillance and preventive operations in Nogales and elsewhere in the state. The board said it would monitor additional information and issue further notices and recommendations if warranted, according to its September 6 statement.

U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) also urged Americans in or near Nogales to follow U.S. government warnings.

“For Americans in or near Nogales – or who may have family members or friends there: please heed the guidance and warnings from the U.S. government. We are praying for the safety of U.S. citizens and personnel who may be in harm’s way,” Biggs wrote in a post to X.

For Americans in or near Nogales – or who may have family members or friends there: please heed the guidance and warnings from the U.S. government. We are praying for the safety of U.S. citizens and personnel who may be in harm's way. https://t.co/yR0CYTdQDx

— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) September 7, 2026

On the Arizona side of the border, California Globe reported July 2 that approximately 400 U.S. Marines were reinforcing existing barriers in the Tucson Sector, including near Nogales and Douglas. Working under Joint Task Force-Southern Border, the Marines were installing wire and welding structural supports onto the wall. At the time, company commander Kyle Harrison said the unit had installed wire along approximately 25 miles of border wall over roughly two and a half months.

The reinforcement work continued into August. Military footage dated August 19 documents Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 7, 1st Marine Logistics Group, securing barbed and concertina wire to prefabricated brackets in Nogales, Arizona, to create a secondary barrier.

The State Department’s standing Mexico travel advisory lists Sonora at Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” citing terrorism and crime. It warns that criminal activity and violence may occur anywhere in the state and advises travelers to remain alert.

The advisory also says the U.S. government’s ability to assist Americans is limited in some areas because its employees face travel restrictions. American citizens are strongly advised to follow the same restrictions when traveling, according to the State Department.

The Nogales warning follows a separate August 24 security alert involving Mexicali, across the border from Calexico, California. That notice temporarily suspended U.S. government activities and travel in the city over a potential threat and urged Americans to avoid government buildings. The State Department subsequently said those restrictions had been lifted and government activities had resumed, Fox News reported August 28.