*I wrote this article when I was at UTEP for the online magazine Borderzine.com which is part of the Communication Department.
From the windows of several buildings at The University of Texas at El Paso students can see the houses of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. These days a glance from a safe distance is all they usually get because crossing the border can be dangerous.
On February 26, 2009 all UTEP students received an e-mail from the university President’s office under the heading “Mexico Travel.” The e-mail contained a memo from President Dr. Diana Natalicio written last October when the U.S. State Department issued the first travel alert to Mexico. It now included a new alert from the State Department, which read, “While millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year, violence in the country has increased recently. It is imperative that travelers understand the risks of travel to Mexico.”
Since last year, drug dealers in Mexico have been at war with each other and the Mexican government. According to the travel alert, “Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have resembled small-unit combat.”
Mexican authorities have reported over 1,800 deaths just in Ciudad Juarez. Other cities around the country have also seen a significant increase in violence since last year. To deal with the violence, the Mexican government has deployed troops to several cities including Juarez. Freshman Luis Larios who went to his hometown Durango for Spring Break said, “I do not like having soldiers around the city. I understand they are there to help but at the same time I’d rather they were not there.”
This situation affects both countries especially persons living near the borders. UTEP's Marketing Professor, Dr. Donald Michie says, “Is not a good situation for us in the border we have a relationship with Juarez on a regular basis and we are not maintaining this relationship during this period of time. People are too unsettled to cross the border and that is having a tremendous impact economically and socially.”
In the memo Dr. Natalicio said, “Such collaborations are consistent with UTEP’s mission and with the opportunities presented to us by our unique U.S.-Mexico border location, and we are confident that they will continue to grow and prosper in the years ahead.”
“We have not stopped people from going over there. What we have encouraging people to do is be more cautious and go when it is actually necessary.” Assistant Dean of Students Catie McCorry explained regarding university-related travel to Mexico, “There are no new protocols they are being reinforced.” Regarding the State Department’s travel alert, McCorry said, “If they hadn’t issued the alert there would be concerns from both sides.”
The travel alert comes just a few weeks before “spring break” season comes and thousands of U.S. students prepare to go to the beach for vacationing. For years students had picked Mexican beaches over American ones, now with these alert students have to make the decision if Mexico is the best decision. “The purpose of our message to the UTEP community was simply to heighten awareness of, and provoke careful thinking about the situation in Mexico before someone chooses to travel there,” Dr. Natalicio said.
Mexico might seem to be a good travel destination given the value of the dollar against the peso but at the increasing violence makes it much less appealing. Junior Civil Engineering Iskra Rodriguez, a Midland, Texas native said, “I wanted to go to Mazatlan for Spring Break it was going to be fairly cheap, but my parents did not think it was safe for me to go. I have been to Juarez just a couple of times this semester and I do not feel as safe as I used to.”
The U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez encourages travelers to use the State Department resources such as like registering travel plans on their website. Gordon Duguid, Acting Deputy Department Spokesman said, “We recognize that we have a consumption problem in the U.S. But we are working with our partners to try and solve the problem of cross-border narcotics trades, which are a problem for us all.”
In a recent interview, Mexican President Felipe Calderon blamed the United States as the major consumer of the drugs Mexican cartels produce and for allowing weapons to flood into Mexico.
Luis Adrian Sosa from the Mexican Consulate in El Paso when asked if tourism has been affected since last October when the first Travel Alert was issued said, “In 2008 Mexico received more than 22 million tourists which is almost a 6% increase from 2007; a vast majority was from the United States. In general all tourists most have their proper precautions and use of common sense in any trip to a foreign country including Mexico.”
Although UTEP exchange student from France Laure Bouyssonnad said she understands why the U.S. issued the alert she says,” I think that it would increase the bad image people have of Mexico whereas it is a wonderful country to discover with a really friendly population.” Bouyssonad has visited Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua and Monterrey since last August and said she felt safe at all times.
How much the travel alert will affect tourism in Mexico is yet to be seen. The alert intends to inform travelers of what they might face in Mexico, but ultimately each individual must decide whether or not to go.
“It’s true; there are places where you have to be careful, but a lot of the information is just the media” Nestor Ramirez said about the Travel Alert. Ramirez who has an organization called “Tripping” organizes trips during Spring Break to Puerto Peñasco and Mazatlan, he says “Tripping” offers all kinds of traveler insurance and only takes students to places he knows they are safe. When asked if he feels this situation has affected tourism Ramirez answered, “It has really affected, I have sold one-fourth of what I used to: many people think that going to Mexico is going to die and is that is simply not true.”
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