Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

  1. #1
    Senior Member mapwife's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    2,697

    AZ: Shun Mexico, UA warns its students

    Published: 02.17.2009

    Shun Mexico, UA warns its students
    By Aaron Mackey
    ARIZONA DAILY STAR

    UA officials want students to abandon any spring-break party plans that include Mexico.
    A strongly worded statement by the Dean of Students Office cites a U.S. State Department travel advisory in urging students to skip heading south of the border when the weeklong break begins next month.
    "Due to these circumstances, the University of Arizona Dean of Students Office strongly advises students to avoid travel to Mexico at this time and during spring break," the statement reads.
    While the U.S. travel alert specifically identifies Nogales and a route to Hermosillo, Sonora's capital, tourist destination Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point, isn't mentioned.
    The Dean of Students Office usually sends out information each spring asking students to be aware of different laws and other issues involved in traveling to foreign countries.
    However, this year's announcement — explicitly calling for students to avoid Mexico because of increased violence — represents a shift as officials seek to discourage students from heading to destinations such as Rocky Point.
    "What's different about this year is the fact that the State Department has a travel warning," said Carol Thompson, the UA's dean of students. "We needed to make sure that students were aware of it and help them understand the situation."
    Drug-cartel-fueled violence has reached record levels in the past year in the state of Sonora, and specifically in Nogales. Official government figures show premeditated homicides soared in Nogales to 116 in 2008, up from 52 in 2007 and 35 in 2006. In Sonora, the total rose to 398, up from 307 in 2007 and 328 in 2006.
    The killings have increased through the first month of 2009, too. There were seven in Nogales and 33 in Sonora, both figures more than in any previous January in three years.
    The violence is attributed to an ongoing battle between drug cartels for the corridor — the most desired piece of real estate along the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexican President Felipe Calderón's campaign to weaken the cartels and snuff out corruption has added fuel to the fire.
    The killings landed Nogales on the State Department's updated Mexico travel alert that came out in October. The alert — which warns travelers about dangerous situations but doesn't instruct them not to go to Mexico — mentions Nogales alongside notoriously dangerous border cities such as Ciudad Juárez, Tijuana and Nuevo Laredo.
    It also highlights Route 15 between Nogales and Hermosillo as a road where "criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles."
    The alert does not mention any of the roads or cities on the route to Rocky Point, the most popular destination for spring-break celebrators. Government figures show 10 homicides occurred in 2008 in Rocky Point, the same as the year before.
    The UA's admonition follows a similar move by Fort Huachuca officials in December. The post, Southern Arizona's largest military installation, restricted troop travel to Mexico and warned military families and civilian employees of the advisory.
    At the UA, there was concern among officials and parents that students looking forward to spring break festivities wouldn't know about the level of violence in Sonora, Thompson said.
    "There definitely is not complete awareness of what has changed down there," she said.
    UA officials can't tell students where to travel during the break, so if students still want to go to Mexico, they can, Thompson said.
    But if they do head south, they should know about the advisory and other issues, she said.
    "We want students traveling for spring break to do it safely, have fun and know that they need to think carefully about their plans," Thompson said.
    To Learn More
    Go to http://dos.web.arizona.edu/e_news/09_01 ... hedean.php to read the UA's travel warning.
    Full text of U.S. State Department's travel alert for Mexico
    http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/printDS/280485
    Illegal aliens remain exempt from American laws, while they DEMAND American rights...

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Santa Clarita Ca
    Posts
    9,714
    We need to reach out and let students know of the risks
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Santa Clarita Ca
    Posts
    9,714
    UA Dean Issues Travel Advisory to Students

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Events planned for next month will inform undergraduates and graduates about violence along the U.S.-Mexico border and about ways they can take extra care should they chose to travel to Mexico during spring break.
    Campus offices and organizations will inform UA students during two events in March on ways to have a safe spring break.


    By University Communications
    February 12, 2009

    The University of Arizona Dean of Students Office is urging students who intend to travel to Mexico, particularly during spring break, to be extra careful and to take note of the rising instances of violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

    "Every student should be aware that Mexico in general has seen a marked increase in violence recently," Dean of Students Carol Thompson noted in a memo to students via e-mail.

    Thompson, who also is assistant vice president for student affairs, that the U.S. Department of State also has issued a travel alert to those traveling to and from Mexico. Travel alerts are issued by the federal government to warn U.S. citizens during times of heightened crime and unrest in other countries.

    This is expecially important because UA's spring break will be held March 14 through March 22 and it is typically a time when large numbers of students choose to vacation in Mexico – very commonly to Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point).

    The alert, which came in October, explained that "increased levels of violence make it imperative that travelers understand the risks of travel to Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations, and whom to contact if one is a victim of crime."

    The travel advisory explains that drug cartels operating along the U.S.-Mexico violence are engaged in "an increasingly violent fight for control of narcotics trafficing routes" between both countries.

    "In order to combat violence, the government of Mexico has deployed military troops in various parts of the country. U.S. citizens should cooperate fully with official checkpoints when traveling on Mexican highways," the advisory continued.

    The situation has resulted in "firefights" between drug cartel members and both Mexican army and police, the advisory noted. Such fights have occured in numerous cities and towns in Mexico, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez.

    Crimes in the northern region of Mexico that have been reportedly on the incline include stolen vehicles, bank robberies, petty thefts, kidnappings, public shootouts and homicides.

    "The situation in northern Mexico remains fluid; the location and timing of future armed engagements cannot be predicted," the advisory noted.

    The alert, which is directed at U.S. citizens living in Mexico or traveling to and from the country, is effective through April 14.

    The federal government urges travelers to visit "only legitimate business and tourist areas" and to be extra careful during evening and nighttime hours.

    UA's Fraternity and Sorority Programs is holding its second annual Hunter White Safe Spring Break Program. The March 1 event will be held at the Student Union Memorial Center Ballroom at 1 p.m.

    The event honors the memory of Hunter White, a UA freshman who died in 2001 after a spring break car wreck while vacationing in Mexico with friends. The driver of the car, Mark Sterner travels across the nation to share his story and will speak during the event.

    In 1994, Sterner was a university student at Rhode Island's Johnson & Wales University spending spring break with four friends in Florida. The group spent one night drinking alcohol and, instead of deginating a sober driver, Sterner opted to drive. He wrecked the vehicle and three of his friends died as a result and Sterner was later charged on three counts of manslauter and served a prison term.

    On March 6, the Associated Students of The University of Arizona along with the Dean of Students and University of Arizona Police Deparmtent will host a safety awareness program on the UA Mall. The event will be held 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

    For those who do chose to travel, Thompson said she and others at the UA "highly encourage" students to take particular note of safety tips and other resources to increase personal safety.

    Precautions include registering travel plans with the U.S. State Department, keeping passport and emergency information at all times during travel, becoming familiar with international law and not traveling with expensive items or excessive amounts of cash.

    But, still, because of the reports coming out of Mexico, Thompson said the UA Dean of Students Office "strongly advises students to avoid travel to Mexico at this time and during spring break."

    http://uanews.opi.arizona.edu/node/24035
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  4. #4
    Senior Member WorriedAmerican's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Maine
    Posts
    4,498
    I'll believe it when Governor Richardson says it!!!!
    If Palestine puts down their guns, there will be peace.
    If Israel puts down their guns there will be no more Israel.
    Dick Morris

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •