MEXICO – Colleges around the country are letting out for spring break. One popular destination for college kids might not be the safest!
Every college kid in the country counts down the days to spring break. Beaches, partying and debauchery start to flood the mind and symbolize a week of fun for students. These spring breakers should rethink any plans involving Mexico warns the State Department.
After an incident which saw a pregnant woman and her husband shot to death, the department issued a travel warning for Mexico. The shooting is believed to be linked to drug traffickers in the border town of Ciudad Juarez over the weekend. The women was an American consulate worker.
The Times reported that nearly 50 people were killed nationwide in drug-gang violence weekend. This comes at a bad time as Mexico starts to receive floods of Spring Break students. The United States Embassy in Mexico City has advised American citizens to delay unnecessary travel to parts of the Mexican states of Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua.
“It is imperative that U.S. citizens understand the risks in Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations and who to contact if victimized,” the department said in a statement. “Common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate business and tourist areas during daylight hours, avoiding areas where prostitution and drug might occur, can help ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable.”
For those traveling to Mexico in the near future, proceed with caution. For those that can arrange alternate travel plans, do so. There’s no need to book a vacation to Mexico for the sake of one week of partying. There are plenty of other locations that can offer the same as Mexico on top of your safety.
Going to Mexico used to be an adventure I would partake of at least a dozen times a year but it increasingly became an adventure in confrontation. The locals were less enamored of the tourism and more interested in what you weren't giving up (i.e. the dollars in your wallet). Now San Diego is a more worthwhile destination in order to avoid the possible confrontation that might involve me having to spend time in a mexican jail.
I am not surpised.