**VERDICT: REAL — WITH IMPORTANT CONTEXT**

VERDICT: REAL — WITH IMPORTANT CONTEXT

The Viral Snippet:

“CBP ISSUES URGENT MEMORIAL DAY TRAVEL WARNING: ‘Do Not Travel’ Alert for 3 States as Cartel Threats Rise”

What We Found:

Yes, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did release a travel advisory ahead of Memorial Day weekend, but the “do not travel” language has been significantly exaggerated in viral posts.

The Facts:

• CBP issued a routine seasonal safety advisory on May 22, reminding travelers to plan ahead for increased border crossing wait times (up to 3–4 hours at San Diego–Tijuana, El Paso–Juárez, and other major ports).
• The advisory included standard warnings about cartel-related violence in Mexican border regions — not U.S. states.
• No U.S. state was designated “do not travel.” The U.S. State Department maintains its own travel advisories for Mexico (Level 3: Reconsider Travel for several states; Level 4: Do Not Travel for Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas — all in Mexico, not the U.S.).
• The viral claim that CBP warned against travel to “3 U.S. states” appears to confuse the State Department’s Mexico advisories with CBP’s operational alert.

Bottom Line: The viral “do not travel” alert for U.S. states is false. CBP’s actual message: expect long lines and exercise normal caution near the border. No domestic “do not travel” order exists for any U.S. state related to Memorial Day.