Athletes, artists and other celebrities who left Mexico due to violence and insecurity

Because they were victims of kidnapping and robbery, in addition to the violence generated by drug trafficking, several celebrities left Mexico several years ago.

Mexico is the fourth country with the highest crime rate in the world and the inhabitants do not feel safe in various cities, according to Inegi, which is why several celebrities have also decided to move for fear of being the victim of a crime.

Homicides, femicides, disappearances, extortions, and recently the so-called “narcoterrorism” that has affected companies and civilians, have caused the image of Mexico to be that of a violent country.

The United States and other countries have issued travel alerts for their citizens to several states in Mexico due to the waves of violence, while some Mexicans have decided to flee the country, including several athletes and artists.

Celebrities who left Mexico due to violence and insecurity

Violence and insecurity in Mexico are not recent problems, so during the last two decades, several celebrities have fled the country.

Some athletes and artists who moved from Mexico did so after being direct or indirect victims of a crime such as a robbery or kidnapping.

Canelo Alvarez

One of his brothers was the victim of a kidnapping in Jalisco and the boxer from Guadalajara had to negotiate with the perpetrators. “That is why I am no longer here in Mexico because it is too insecure for me and for my family,” he said in an interview with journalist Graham Besinger.

Guillermo del Toro

His father was kidnapped in 1998; The filmmaker from Guadalajara did not have the million dollars they were asking for his release, but his colleague James Cameron supported him and his father was released. However, Del Toro lives in “voluntary exile” in Los Angeles, California for fear that the kidnappers were not caught.

Yuri

The singer from Veracruz and her husband Rodrigo Espinosa suffered a kidnapping attempt in 1999, for which they moved to the United States. They returned later, but she has again contemplated leaving the country. “I don’t want to leave Mexico, but if things get ugly, we will consider it,” she told reporters in May 2022.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

The director of Amores Perros and Birdman moved because he considered that there was not enough support for filmmakers in Mexico and also because of insecurity after his father was kidnapped for six hours and his mother was assaulted and brutally beaten.

Patrick O’Ward

The IndyCar driver was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León in 1999. However, when he was 11 years old, he and his family moved to San Antonio, Texas because they were worried about insecurity in Mexico.

Frida Sofia

When she was 12 years old, she suffered an attempted kidnapping in Mexico City when her driver was taking her to her ballet classes. Alejandra Guzmán’s daughter was saved from her because one of the kidnappers repented, but she moved to the United States with her family.

David Faitelson

The sports journalist left Mexico because he received an offer to work in Los Angeles with ESPN and also because he was worried about insecurity, but he misses the country. “My thing is Mexico, Mexican soccer, and I need to be there,” he told Javier Alarcón’s YouTube channel.

Ernestina Sodi

The writer was kidnapped along with her sister Laura Zapata in 2002. They were held captive for 36 days until her sister Thalía paid the ransom. Ernestina Sodi left Mexico to not live in fear.

Los Temerarios

The singer’s father was kidnapped in 1997 and although he was released after paying his ransom, two fingers were amputated. The brothers Adolfo and Gustavo Ángel Alba decided not to return to Mexico.

Alan Thatcher

The wife of the former Mexican host of TV Azteca was assaulted twice and also received kidnapping threats, so they decided to move to Miami.

Humberto Zurita

The actor was the victim of an assault and they put a gun to his head, so he and his wife Christian Bach, and their two children went to live in the United States.

Mexico Daily Post