Prompted by increasing drug-related violence, the U.S. Department of State released a travel warning for Mexico, causing universities nationwide to cancel a number of study abroad programs in the country.
However, despite the advisory, the University of California is still offering opportunities to study abroad in Mexico, said UC Office of the President spokesman Steve Montiel.
“Some advisories were sent out over spring break, but the educational programs are still going on, and students are still enrolled in them,” he said.
Since most of the drug-related violence occurs in northern Mexico, Montiel said that many of the UC’s study abroad programs in the country are situated quite a distance away.
For example, the programs in Mexico City are close to a thousand miles away, Montiel said.
Sergio Broderick-Villa, the associate director for study abroad at UCLA’s International Education Office, said in an e-mail statement that UCLA still plans to operate its Spanish language program over the summer in Merida, Mexico, which is located on the Yucatan Peninsula, a good distance away from the border violence.
However, the violence in Mexico has been volatile, and Broderick-Villa said the UCLA IEO, Student Affairs and Office of the Campus Counsel are monitoring the situation based on State Department advisories and will take appropriate action if the conditions should change.
Montiel acknowledged that while places like Mexico City have drug-related violent incidents, these are minimal compared to the situation in northern states. He added that students already in Mexico City are well-integrated within their communities.
The notice sent out by the State Department advises U.S. citizens to postpone travel to certain areas of the country. A spokeswoman for the department said that while the most obvious areas of conflict are located at the border, citizens are advised against traveling to any part of Mexico, and if they must, they should be aware of their surroundings at all times and register with the U.S. embassy.