Texas Urges Students on Spring Break to Avoid Mexico

As spring break approaches, the government has advised college students in Texas to stay away from Mexico.

In a written warning to students, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw cited drug-related violence near the border and throughout the country as reasons to stay away.

"Drug violence has not discriminated – innocent bystanders and people who may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time are among the casualties," says McCraw.

"Our safety message is simple: avoid traveling to Mexico during Spring Break and stay alive," he warns.

The department is urging students to stay on the U.S. side of Falcon Lake, a popular spot for fishing and boating on the Rio Grande border, where American David Hartley was sightseeing when he was shot and killed by drug traffickers last September.

Officials also mentioned the February murder of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata near San Luis Potosi.

Popular resort destinations such as Acapulco and Cancun are not exempt from the warning, where McCraw says "various crime problems exist" in the areas.

Just yesterday, Mexican president Felipe Calderon signed a pact with tourism industry leaders to try and push the troubled country to become one of the top five tourist destinations by 2018. President Calderon had previously declared 2011 the "Year of Tourism" for Mexico, which currently ranks tenth in the top 10 tourism destinations of the world, according to the World Tourism Organization.