For years, Tijuana has served adventurous students as a relatively cheap and reliable travel destination, but with increased violence and crime, students should be aware of the new dangers.
The U.S. Department of State issued a travel alert on Oct. 14, updating security information for those traveling and living in Mexico. The travel alert aims to help educate citizens about the risks of traveling to Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations and who to contact if one is a victim of a crime. The Department of State first issued a travel alert for Mexico on April 14.
The alert reinforces common sense precautions such as avoiding areas where prostitution or drug dealing is likely, as well as being sure to visit only legitimate businesses.
The recent increase in violence is related to the clash between drug cartels and Mexican authorities. The Mexican government has deployed military troops in order to help combat violence. The alert urges all U.S. citizens to cooperate fully with official checkpoints on Mexican highways.
The events across the border are affecting the countless students who travel to Mexico each semester for an array of reasons. Business junior Jeremy Landi said he’s visited Mexico in previous years to take advantage of the many surf spots the country has to offer. In light of the recent alert, however, he said he won’t return until the situation is resolved.
Journalism senior Kristine Guest has similar plans. She said she’s visited Tijuana with friends before, but refuses to go back in the foreseeable future.
“The increased violence and crime in Mexico is definitely scary,” Guest said, adding that she would also strongly discourage any friends who were thinking about visiting. Even if the violence subsides this semester, she said she would be very apprehensive about visiting until more time has passed.
According to the travel alert, Mexican drug cartels are engaged in an increasingly violent fight for control of narcotics trafficking routes along the U.S.-Mexico border in an apparent response to the Mexican government’s initiatives to crack down on narcotics-trafficking organizations. Some recent confrontations have even involved the use of automatic weapons and grenades, according to the alert.
The travel alert advised citizens to exercise caution when traveling anywhere in Mexico. The majority of the violence, the alert warned, is occurring in northern Mexico, including the cities of Tijuana, Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juárez. The situation in Ciudad Juárez, a city east of Tijuana, has been the most dangerous. There, more than 1,000 people have been killed during the past year.
Anyone seeking information, advice or assistance regarding the alert or travel into Mexico should contact the U.S. Consulate or Embassy or visit the U.S. Department of State Web site at www.travel.state.gov.
Travelers cautioned
Alert identifies cities south of the border as potentially dangerous into April 2009
Published: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Updated: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
 "Photo: MCT Campus")
MCT Campus
2 comments
San Clemente love
I love Kevin. His stories are amazing.
c myers
I will never go back there. I was detained for supposidly counterfiet money, and the cops tried to extort thousands of dollars from me. Only by the grace of God was I able to leave the border town of TJ...never to return.
