US Consulate shut down amid violence in Mexico

The U.S. government announced today that it has shut down indefinitely its consulate in the city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Ciudad Juarez is the scene of an increasingly violent drug war. This consulate shut down at least once more previously, when three of its personnel fell victims of drug dealers. Ciudad Juarez is also infamously known as the site of the unsolved murders of hundreds of Mexican women, which was turned into the Hollywood film Bordertown starring Jennifer Lopez. The shutting down of the consulate will undoubtedly create even more of a backlog situation for this very busy post. More information can be found on the Consulate's website here.