Beachgoers enjoy their spring break vacation in Acapulco, Mexico. (Photo courtesy of Acapulco Tourism Board )
To kick off the countdown to Spring Break, SMU student received an e-mail from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) “discouraging” students from visiting Mexico due to continued violence and drug cartels.
The DPS said that at least 65 U.S. citizens had been killed in Mexico over the past year, along with numerous kidnappings, sexual assaults and robberies. However, an article in The Dallas Morning News disputes these numbers, reporting that Mexican Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara reveals that the State Department had not updated its evaluation of the danger in Mexico since September.
On the website, the article is paired with a slideshow that includes a picture of a trash bag full of human remains dumped in the city of Acapulco and past spring breaker partiers. The U.S. Embassy link sent within the e-mails shows warnings dating as far back as last summer, displaying a trend of constant alerts to traveling Americans.
While the DPS believes “Drug violence has not discriminated—innocent bystanders and people who may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time are among the casualties,” The Dallas Morning News spoke to the president of Southlake-based Dynamic Travel & Cruises who said no one has yet to call and cancel their trip.
As for SMU students, many are still planning to cross the border.
“I was a little scared but nothing surprising,” junior Stacey Yocum said.
Yocum said that since her trip was nonrefundable and she had some guy friends joing her group, she chose to still go.
Yocum said, “If SMU really wanted to protect it’s students, they should’ve set the e-mail out months ago before students started booking their trips.”
Freshman Domenica Fuller plans to go home to Miami and visit her boyfriend for her break.
“Have they watched the news? The thing is if you keep up with current events and check your e-mail it should not be an appealing idea to you when you see people getting kidnapped and killed. I don’t think it’s the smartest idea,” she said.
The DPS urges that students to “avoid traveling to Mexico during Spring Break and stay alive.” However, they also acknowledge that many vacationers have returned unharmed despite the risks.
(HELENA BOLOGNA/The Daily Campus)
