Mexico not most unsafe place to study abroad

Editor,

UNM students should very carefully consider study and travel in Mexico. I still advocate study in Mexico, but only in very controlled circumstances — circumstances that will curtail UNM students’ engagement with all of the valuable experiences that were once possible in the country. I ardently hope for the day that security is restored.

In the ‘80s to around the mid ‘90s, security for those living and traveling in Mexico was broadly comparable to the U.S. For example, in this era, UNM students could travel within Ciudad Juárez with no more concerns than driving across Albuquerque.
Travel across Mexico overland was similarly safe and almost incident-free. Some UNM students even hitchhiked safely across Mexico to study-abroad venues. Travel incidents usually involved issues with food and drink, rather than crime and insecurity.

The mid ‘90s brought the appreciable deterioration of security in Mexico, and the rapid and sustained increase in the dangers of travel within Mexico. During this time frame, burglary gave way to overt robbery. Violent assaults became more common against foreigners. Thefts increased.

Armed encounters between insurgent and criminal groups against the Mexican authorities began to take root. Resistance during robberies began to lead to ever more violent escalation and, in some cases, the deaths of U.S. citizens.

These events now serve as the baseline of criminal incidents in Mexico; this became and still is “the new normal” in Mexico.  For example, Mexico City is cited as “safe” by many.

Mexico City, according to officials, has a lower murder rate than some U.S. cities. This may be true, but I would hazard to state that the rates of violent muggings, robberies and other criminal assaults are most likely not comparable with any U.S. city.

While students may feel “safe” in Mexico, the facts are that they are not as “safe” as they would have been in years past. One can travel to Mexico, and it’s probable nothing bad will happen during a visit. The real risks to travelers and students are the highly unpredictable and ruthless outcomes of crime — outcomes that were nearly unheard of in decades past.

The best public resources for UNM students, in addition to official UNM advisories, are the U.S. State Department Travel Warnings, as they have proven to be disconcertingly accurate in predicting the locations of the manifestations of extreme violence against U.S. citizens.

Also, while there is not an official U.S. Travel Warning outstanding, the UNM community should be aware of the recent — and even more rapid and deadly — surge in violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. UNM should suspend any and all university-sanctioned travel and study to these nations.

Mark A. Ortega
UNM alumnus