Visitors from the United States walk past a dental office in downtown Los Algodones, near the US-Mexico border in 2017
© GUILLERMO ARIAS / AFP/File
Washington (AFP) –
As reports swirl around the recent kidnapping in Mexico of four Americans, two of whom were killed, one detail has drawn particular attention -- they had crossed the border for a medical procedure.
The revelation threw a spotlight on the steady stream of so-called medical tourism from the United States to its southern neighbor, as Americans cross the border seeking lower costs or treatments inaccessible at home, despite the risks -- including that of going to a country known for drug-related violence.