Spring breakers appear to be heeding the warnings of American authorities who cautioned against traveling to Mexico amidst heightened fears of cartel violence against foreigners.
Across Florida college kids clad in bathing suits and bikinis could be seen frolicking on local beaches, splashing in the water, while drinking and partying in the sun.
Miami Beach has attracted a particularly large scene, with photos showing the party overflowing from the shoreline into nearby bars and restaurants. Airport officials said they expected to see record numbers of arrivals of about 550 flights carrying 100,00 people in and out daily, according to Fox 13.
The US government has designated almost every state in Mexico as a travel risk, with many being labeled as ‘do not travel’ or ‘reconsider travel.’
Nevertheless, some spring breakers have begun descending on Cancun, where they could be seen frolicking at ocean-side music festivals. The resort city is located in the Mexican state Quitana Roo, where the US has advised travelers to ‘exercise increased caution.’
Three women walk on the beach in Miami on March 13 amidst spring break crowds
Spring breakers at a party in Cancun. The US has advised against travelling to Mexico. It’s unclear whether all of the above are Americans
These are the current travel advisories for Mexico from the US government. Only two states – Yucatan and Campeche – are completely free of advisories
The travel advisories come as the dangers facing Americans in Mexico received increased attention after a group four were kidnapped by a drug cartel in a saga that two of the victims dead.
‘Drug cartel violence and other criminal activity represent a significant safety threat to anyone who crosses into Mexico right now,’ said Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said in a statement issued Friday.
‘We have a duty to inform the public about safety, travel risks and threats. Based on the volatile nature of cartel activity and the violence we are seeing there, we are urging individuals to avoid travel to Mexico at this time.’
Latavia McGee, Shaeed Woodward, Eric James and Zindell Brown were snatched on March 3 after driving from South Carolina to Mexico to receive cosmetic procedures.
Footage showed them being thrown into the back of a pickup truck in broad daylight in the northeast Mexico city of Matamoros.
After a massive manhunt and national news coverage, the group were found on March 7 in a shed about six miles from where they were taken.
When rescued – McGee was seen barefoot and covered in dirt – the trauma of the incident evident on her face. She survived the ordeal with Williams who was shot in the left leg, according to Mexican officials, the others did not survive. Brown and Woodard had both been killed by the time they were found.
Mexican officials said they believe the incident could have been a case of ‘mistaken identity’ and could be connected to the notorious ‘Gulf Cartel’ who are prominent in the region.
Two women walk on a beach in Miami on March 13, joining the crowds travelling for break
A woman sits on a towel in Miami Beach on March 13. People are lying on the beach with her
A crowd of people relaxing on the sand in Miami Beach, Florida, on March 13
Four women in the water at Miami beach on March 13. Behind them, another swims
Two women walk along the shore in Miami Beach on March 13 while carrying their shoes
Shortly after the Americans were found, five cartel members turned themselves over to authorities, along with a note from the gang apologizing for the kidnapping and explaining the men had operated on their own.
‘The Gulf Cartel’s Scorpions Group strongly condemns the events of last Friday, March 3 where unfortunately an ‘innocent’ working mother died and 4 American citizens were ‘kidnapped’ of which 2 died,’ the Spanish-written message read.
‘And for this reason, we have decided to hand over those involved and directly responsible for the facts who at all times acted under their own determination and indiscipline and against the rules that ‘The CDG’ has always operated, respecting the life and integrity of the innocent,’ the cartel said.
Also missing in Mexico are sisters Maritza Trinidad Perez Rios, 47, Marina Perez Rios, 48, and their friend, Dora Alicia Cervantes Saenz, 53, vanished in Mexico on February 24 after travelling from Peñitas, the small Texas border city where they lived.
The three women are among a startling 550 Americans who have been reported missing in Mexico, according to public records. This is a small part of the total 112,000 people missing in the country – and is a tiny percentage of the millions of US citizens who travel to Mexico every year for vacations and work.
Armed guards patrol the beach in Cancun, Mexico, on March 13, amidst heightened fear
Two women walk on the beach in Miami Beach with drinks in their hands on March 13
Spring break crowds along the beach in the sunshine at Miami Beach on March 13
A group of five women walk in bathing suits on the beach in Miami Beach on March 13
Women walk in their bathing suits on the sidewalk in Miami Beach on March 13
Spring break crowds on the beach in Miami Beach, Florida, on March 13
Crowds walk along the sidewalks in bathing suits in Miami Beach on March 13
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke out against US travel advisories on Monday and said his country was more secure than the neighboring one across the north.
‘Mexico is safer than the United States,’ López Obrador during a morning news briefing. ‘There is no problem in traveling safely in Mexico.’
Data shows that Mexico’s nationwide homicide rate is about 28 per 100,000 inhabitants. On the contrary, the murder rate in the United States is about 7 per 100,000.
The high murder numbers have been among the many reasons why the US State Department issued the ‘do not travel’ advisories for six of Mexico’s 32 states that have been unable to control cartel violence.
The leftist leader said American tourists and Mexicans living in the US have been cognizant of the country’s safety and boasted that there has been an increase in. Americans resident in Mexico.
People stand on the sidewalk near the beach in Miami Beach, Florida, on March 13
Woman walk in bathing suits on the beach in Miami Beach on March 13 during spring break
A cruise ship moored along the shore in Miami Beach where people swim in the water
Ocean side crowds in the sunshine on the beach in Miami Beach, Florida, on March 13
A group of people stand talking in the sun near the beach in Miami Beach on March 13
Five men in the ocean in Miami Beach on March 13. Many travelled there for spring break
A pair of people in bathing suits on the beach in Miami Beach, Florida, on March 13
Women walk away from the beach towards Ocean Drive in bathing suits in Miami Beach
López Obrador added that the ‘anti-Mexico’ rhetoric was the works of ‘conservative politicians in the United States who do not want the transformation of our country to continue.’
The president also suggested the U.S. media was .also to blame in the supposed conspiracy
‘These conservative politicians … dominate the majority of the news media in the United States,’ he said. ‘This violence is not a reality,’ he added. ‘It is pure, vile manipulation.’
Robert Almonte, a former US Marshal for the Western District of Texas and retired deputy chief with the El Paso Police Department, told DailyMail.com last week that Americans should consider boycotting all travel to Mexico because the government there is not interested in curbing violence.
‘The bottom line is when someone makes the decision to go to Mexico for any reason, you’re basically risking your life. It’s just a dangerous place to be,’ he said. ‘I tell people don’t go to Mexico. I am advocating a boycott of Mexico. I am telling people do not go to Mexico. Do not go to the resorts. Let’s send a message to the Mexican government that they need to get a handle on this situation.
‘Right now they don’t care because it’s business as usual. It seems like we don’t care, we’re ignoring the situation.’
