Provost: Mexico unsafe

The Provost’s Office issued a Sept. 1 travel advisory in the wake of Mexico’s escalating violence.
Provost Suzanne Ortega encouraged students planning to visit Mexico to educate themselves about possible dangers in the areas and to have emergency contacts.

“UNM does not want to erect an academic wall by withdrawing or suspending activities from all areas Mexico in response to current security conditions,” Ortega said in the University-wide e-mail. “UNM has operated programs in Mexico for decades and has not had any reports of serious crimes against its faculty, staff or students since the onset of the ongoing wave of violence. However, the risks are real, and they vary from week to week.”

Associate Journalism Professor Richard Schaefer said the provost sent the memo to make people aware of potential traveling hazards.
UNM student Brittaney Cordova recently visited Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in May. She said she enjoyed visiting the area and didn’t allow media reports to limit her planned activities.

“If I don’t put myself in bad situations, nothing bad will happen,” Cordova said. “Mexico has always been a place to take extra precaution.”
Schaefer recently visited Michoacan, Mexico, as faculty adviser for Communication and Journalism’s Cross-Border Issues Group. The Cross-Border Issues Group studies policies and issues that affect the people of North and Central America. Schaefer said he did not feel threatened, but noticed that people he interacted with in Mexico were unusually nervous.

Schaefer said friends and colleagues cautioned him against aggressive reporting that would offend government officials or criminals
enterprises, especially when dealing with migrant abuse issues.

Schaefer compared the situation in Mexico to Chicago during prohibition, a time when widespread violence and a high murder rate consumed the city. He said the violence was isolated to participants of illegal activity.

Schaefer said he worried about students behaving improperly, driving at night, getting sick and offending organized criminals.
About 28,000 people have been killed since Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared war on drug cartels soon after he took office in late 2006, according to UN reports. A majority of those killed were either government representatives or cartel members. Even with those staggering numbers, Mexico’s murder rate per capita is mild compared to Colombia, South Africa, Jamaica, Venezuela and Russia, according to UN reports.

UNM student Brittany Kelly said if she planned on going to Mexico, the provost’s warning would have affected her decision.
“I thought it was good that they sent the letter out to let people know what’s going on,” Kelly said.

The drug trade isn’t the only source of criminal activity that creates hostile conditions in Mexico.

Schaefer said recent changes in U.S. immigration policy have forced citizens from Mexico and Central American countries to cross the border without documentation. Many of those people have turned to the region’s criminal organizations, which fabricate documentation or engage in human smuggling. Competition over these and other profitable activities among criminal organizations play an increasing role in Mexico’s violence.

The provost’s memo listed several helpful websites for prospective travelers.
UNM reserves the right to modify or cancel a trip at any time in the case of emergency or if the trip destination becomes the subject of a U.S. Department of State travel alert, travel warning or similar guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the memo said.
In May 2009, UNM suspended all travel to Mexico because of the CDCP and World Health Organization’s level-5 warnings, prompted by the outbreak of the H1N1 flu.