This story from the August 16, 2014, El Paso Times, headlined US Department of State re-issues warning about traveling to Juárez contains the following paragraph:
“Officials urge U.S. citizens traveling to Juárez to exercise caution while traveling to shopping and business districts and through any major industrial parks and in the downtown area.”
However, if you go to the State Department’s Mexico Travel Warning page, you find this:
“Exercise caution in traveling to the business and shopping districts in the northeast section of Ciudad Juarez and its major industrial parks, and the central downtown section and major industrial parks in Chihuahua City.”
Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua City are separated by 200 miles and a comma. Downtown Juarez is actually pretty safe.