( CNN ) -- The U.S. State Department has broadened its travel warning for Mexico , advising citizens to avoid certain areas and steer clear of driving at night . The new alert , issued late last week , urges Americans to defer nonessential travel in regions where drug-related violence has surged , including the border state of Tamaulipas and the central state of Michoacan . It also warns against nonessential travel in parts of eight other states , significantly expanding the scope of an alert issued in September . `` There 's pretty much no state that has n't been touched by this . ... We 've seen some major , high-value cartel targets that have been taken down by the Mexican government , but that does n't appear to have quelled a lot of the violence , '' said Fred Burton , vice president of the Stratfor global intelligence agency . `` We see no short-term end in sight . '' The State Department notes that millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico every year . But it also says Mexico 's ongoing violence and security concerns pose `` serious risks '' for U.S. citizens , and urges travelers to take precautions . `` To reduce risk , you are strongly urged to travel only during daylight hours throughout Mexico , to avoid isolated roads and to use toll roads whenever possible , '' the advisory says . Americans with connections to Mexico had mixed reactions to the latest assessment of travel south of the border . Friday 's warning was `` a major red flag '' and `` quite a bit more expansive '' than past alerts , said Kathleen Fairfax , vice president for global education at Arizona State University . `` We do n't have armored cars like the government does , '' said Fairfax , who noted that school officials will meet this week to discuss how the new guidelines might affect study-abroad trips . But reports of violence can be overblown , the leader of an expatriate group in Mexico said , describing his trip last month to a butterfly sanctuary in Michoacan , a stronghold of Mexico 's La Familia cartel . `` I felt totally safe there . We had no problem at all . You have to be mindful of what 's going on , but there are n't people attacking anybody , especially expats , '' Howard Feldstein said . The 69-year-old retired small-business owner from Denver , Colorado , heads the Lake Chapala Society , an expatriate community center in the Mexican state of Jalisco with more than 3,000 members . The country remains a `` great place to retire , '' he said , despite security concerns . `` Life goes on . The people that live here do not live in fear of moving around freely . We 're just , perhaps , more cautious , '' he said . Mexico 's government has not issued an official response to the latest U.S. alert . Tourism officials have repeatedly stressed that violence occurs mostly in areas along the border that are far from Mexico 's popular landmarks and beaches . `` We should not take the issue out of context , '' Rodolfo Lopez Negrete , chief operating officer of the Mexico Tourism Board , said in a recent interview . `` The distances are very , very great . You would n't stop going to New York because of a problem in Dallas . '' But Burton , of Stratfor , said the latest U.S. State Department alert shows `` the unpredictability of where this violence could happen next . '' `` The fear is that as you are traveling the highways inside Mexico , that you could be victimized in some sort of roving roadblock , '' he said . Blocking major thoroughfares to prevent police and military reinforcements from arriving has become an increasingly common tactic employed by drug gangs across Mexico . The State Department advisory warns of carjacking and highway robberies and notes , `` Violence along Mexican roads and highways is a particular concern in the northern border region . '' Drug cartel members blocked roads with hijacked vehicles in the border states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas over two days in March . During clashes with federal police in December , suspected members of La Familia set trucks and buses ablaze on highways in Michoacan . Mexican government figures indicate more than 34,600 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon announced a crackdown on cartels in December 2006 . The number of U.S. citizens killed in Mexico increased from 35 in 2007 to 111 in 2010 , the State Department said . More than a third of the 2010 reported slayings of U.S. citizens occurred in the border cities of Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana , according to the State Department . `` There is no evidence that U.S. tourists have been targeted by criminal elements due to their citizenship . Nonetheless , while in Mexico you should be aware of your surroundings at all times and exercise particular caution in unfamiliar areas , '' the alert says . Friday 's warning also specifies dangers and advises against nonessential travel in parts of the states of Durango , Chihuahua , Coahuila , Jalisco , San Luis Potosi , Sinaloa , Sonora and Zacatecas . Travelers should exercise caution visiting parts of Baja California , Guerrero , Nayarit and Nuevo Leon , the advisory says . CNN 's Rafael Romo contributed to this report .
The alert singles out some Mexican states and warns U.S. citizens to drive during daylight . A security analyst says there is `` no short-term end in sight '' to drug violence . Score: 6 An American retiree living in Mexico says people `` do not live in fear ''