I got the following response to an e mail I sent:
Dear Correspondent,
One of the central missions of the Department of State is to assist American citizens abroad. An important component of that is relaying information on threats to either American citizens or the general public. Under the State Department’s “No Double Standard” Policy, it is required that information relating to security threats distributed to U.S. Government personnel also be released to the general public.
While revealing the sources of information to the general public is not always possible, information is checked for accuracy. In this case, Mexican authorities verified receipt of reports about unauthorized checkpoints on Highway 8 between Lukeville, Arizona and Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point, Sonora). In response to these reports, local Mexican police increased their patrols of the area in an effort to apprehend the perpetrators. The Consulate has not received any reports of injuries to US citizens related to these checkpoints between the U.S. border and Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point).
The current warden message only advises against travel on Highway 8 at night and should not be construed to include other routes within Sonora nor the city of Puerto Peñasco itself.
Consulate Nogales remains committed to providing essential security information to the U.S. traveling public and will release updated guidance on this situation as it changes.
Sincerely,
American Citizen Services
U.S. Consulate Nogales
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This email is UNCLASSIFIED.