By KELIN DILLON

A series of violent attacks purportedly perpetrated by local criminal groups in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, during the early morning of Monday, Nov. 28, caused numerous disruptions to the daily lives of the Mexican border city’s population – including the closure of Nuevo Laredo’s U.S. embassy, a strike by public transportation workers and the partial suspension of its school system’s classes.

According to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), who addressed the situation during his daily morning press conference, the city’s reported early-morning shootouts stemmed from the arrest of one of Nuevo Laredo’s organized crime bosses at 4:30 a.m. that very same day.

“Today at dawn there was a confrontation in Nuevo Laredo, a person was arrested, who was the head of a criminal group, and there were reactions, but that arrest has already been carried out. There are elements to show that he was responsible for other violent acts in that area, and he has already been transferred to Mexico City,” said López Obrador at the time.

As a result, Nuevo Laredo Mayor Carmen Lilia Canturosas announced the school system’s temporary shutdown on social media after consulting with the city’s Regional Education Center (CREDE), revealing that students’ attendance Monday would be at the complete discretion of their parents. 

The Nuevo Laredo Public Transport Delegation likewise declared Monday morning that it would be suspending its services until the situation had been resolved.

Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy in Nuevo Laredo revealed it had canceled all of its appointments originally scheduled for Monday due to the emergency, with the site’s personnel planning to contact those affected by the closure in the days to come with an opportunity to reschedule.