Guadalupe Mexico: Many residents have fled across border to U.S., flee drug war

nytimes.com reported…But shades of the yearslong drug war that gripped this gritty part of Chihuahua State known as the Valley of Juárez remained intact. Abandoned buildings where broken windows reflected graffiti were common, and unmaintained streets and empty shops sat near the town square.

The emptying of Guadalupe comes at a time when officials in Ciudad Juárez, about 30 miles away, are promoting tourism and celebrating a decrease in bloodshed after years of carnage that claimed thousands of lives.

Many Guadalupe residents have fled to Texas cities including Fabens, directly across the border, and El Paso.

Among them is Gerardo Gamez, the former city leader of the main political group here, the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which is also the party of the Chihuahua governor, César Duarte Jáquez, and of President Enrique Peña Nieto. Read Article