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As many of you are aware, there have been some widely publicized incidents of violence in the border region of Baja in recent months. We have been closely monitoring the situation from our offices in Santa Ana and Tijuana and would like to update you on what exactly is going on in Mexico and the safeguards that Corazón has in place to assure your safety.
More than 20 U.S. based non-profits operate in Baja California during the year. Since the surge in violence in 2007, there have been no reported incidents of volunteers being involved in any of these.
Volunteers who participated in 2009 were asked if they 'felt safe caravanning in and out of Mexico,' 86% agreed, 46% strongly agreed with that statement.
The US Department of State Travel Alert on
August 20, 2009 states
"While millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year
(including thousands who cross the land border every day for study, tourism
or business), violence in the country has increased recently. It is
imperative that travelers understand the risks of travel to Mexico, how best
to avoid dangerous situations, and whom to contact if one becomes a crime
victim. Common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate business
and tourist areas during daylight hours, and avoiding areas where
prostitution and drug dealing might occur, can help ensure that travel to
Mexico is safe and enjoyable."
For the full Alert click here.
There are two separate dynamics at work here. The first is violence related to the drug cartels and the second is incidental events in which some Americans have been involved.
The first is a series of events garnering a great deal of attention involving the embattled drug cartels trying to control the traffic routes, lashing out against other cartel members and Mexican and American authorities. The Mexican Government is pushing hard to break up the cartels resulting in their fractioning into cells with some very public displays of violence in Tijuana and Rosarito. The Federal government has deployed over 2000 troops to help with the violence and the State police have increased security in the tourist areas in these two cities.
The events involving some Americans basically consisted of three incidents that occurred in 2007. In August 2007, a group of American surfers were stopped by false police officers before dawn and had their vehicles and equipment stolen. On October 23, 2007 a couple camping on a beach about 200 miles south of the border were assaulted and robbed at gunpoint. In late November 2007, a San Diego family was stopped just south of Tijuana at about 1:00 AM and their vehicles and possessions were stolen and their lives threatened. There are other incidents alluded to but none are actually described in any detail, except they were related to drugs or prostitution.
We believe that none of this directly affects your travel to Tijuana with Corazón. Most of the violence reported in the news has occurred in the East side or affluent neighborhoods of the city. The incidental violence implicating Americans mentioned earlier involved some decidedly risky behavior. Driving late at night or isolated camping has inherent risks. These were attractive and vulnerable targets where nationality was not the motive and unfortunately they were robbed and assaulted.
Corazón has employed a number of safeguards and procedures to make your day in Mexico a safe and productive one. These include:
Your trip will be
done in the morning in the safety of a caravan that will guide your
group across the border to the project site and then back to the border
at the end of the day. An entry map will be distributed and reviewed at
the meeting site.
We have Mexican staff
members on duty every Saturday to assist us with any incidents that may
arise. We are in constant radio contact with our Mexico office from the
time we leave the parking lot in Chula Vista until the return to the
border.
The areas that
Corazón works in are not the same ones where reported violent events
have taken place. Additionally, with over 700 families participating in
the program, we also have wide community support. In other words, the
people in Mexico look out for us.
Our Mexico Board of
Directors includes three government officials who are working to ensure
Corazón’s safety in Mexico.
We are in contact
with the US Consulate in Tijuana as well as the local and state police
who are assisting us with traffic escorts to and from the communities,
and visit us to ensure we are safe.
Our projects are
designed to be easily completed in one day with the goal of getting your
group safely back to the border before dark. We supply you with maps to
guide you through Tijuana and make your crossing back home as easy and
safe as possible. We review the maps and the caravan process at lunch
time. The map also includes information in case you are stopped by
police along with local phone numbers and a phone number for Corazón
staff in Mexico.
Emergency scenarios
are discussed during staff meetings with discussion of actions that
could be taken in response
Each staff person
carries a list of emergency phone numbers
We are partnering with bus companies to allow for 25 and 50 passenger buses, depending on location. Click here for bus information.
We do not want to downplay the concerns about the violence that is occurring in Mexico. We do, however, want you to understand all the safeguards Corazón has traditionally had in place to assure your safety as well as the additional measures we have added to these. We are carefully monitoring the situation on a daily basis from Santa Ana and Tijuana. We will be escorting you through the city to your projects, maintaining radio communications during the entire process. Your project will be in neighborhoods where you are among friends and that are typically free of any of the violence associated with the news reports.
If you have any questions regarding your trip to Mexico with Corazón, please don’t hesitate to call the office at 714.547.0357.