Hundreds of Mexican soldiers arrived in the city of Tijuana on Saturday after more than a dozen vehicles were seized and burned by gangs as part of escalating violence in the region. About 350 National Guard soldiers were brought in to support the thousands of federal troops already in Baja California state, Reforma reported. No injuries were reported in the hijackers in Tijuana who snarled traffic across the city and temporarily blocked access to the busiest US border crossing. US government employees were instructed Friday afternoon to evacuate and avoid travel to the city after reports of increased violence. TO US GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES Told to resort to placement amid rising Tijuana violence, cartels threaten ‘mass mayhem’ Armed members of the National Guard walk past the site of a burned public transportation vehicle after it was set on fire by unknown people in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on August 12, 2022. (GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images) The hijackings in four other cities in Baja led to the arrest of at least 17 people, according to Milenio TV. The Jalisco Youth Cartel threatened violence to anyone seen on the streets over the weekend in Northern Baja California. “Be warned. From Friday 10pm to Sunday 3am we will be creating mass chaos. [expletive] the government frees our people. We are the Jalisco New Generation cartel, we don’t want to hurt good people, but it’s better not to go out, we will attack anyone we see on the streets these days,” the group said in a statement. warning translated from Spanish. FENTANYL CRISIS: DEA OFFICIAL SAYS MEXICO NEEDS TO DO MORE TO STOP DRUG PRODUCTION, IT’S FLOWING INTO US Armed members of the National Guard walk past the site of a burned public transportation vehicle after it was set on fire by unknown people in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on August 12, 2022. (GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images) Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero said in a video message addressed to criminal gangs that she attributed the hijackers to the fact that they were not going to force the city to shut down. “We are not going to allow a citizen of Tijuana to pay the consequences of those who did not pay their bills,” he said. “We’re asking you to pay the people who owe you, not the families and working citizens.” Firefighters work at the scene of a burnt public transportation vehicle after it was set on fire by unknown people in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on August 12, 2022. (GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Caballero said in a separate press conference that there were about 3,000 federal troops in the state to assist Tijuana police. He stressed that no civilians have been injured yet. “The problem is serious, but it’s not that serious,” the mayor said. Fox News’ Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.
