Authorities warn against travel to Mexico during Spring Break

Three Hispanic women from Texas have been missing in Mexico since last month after crossing the border to sell clothing at a market. The FBI reported that Mexican authorities are investigating the disappearance of two sisters and a friend. The FBI joined the investigation.

Marina Pérez Ríos, 48, her sister Martiza Trinidad Pérez Ríos, 47, and her friend Dora Alicia Cervantes Sáenz, 53, crossed the border into Mexico on February 24 from Peñitas, Texas. They were headed to the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon in a green 1996 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with Texas plates. They were last seen in downtown China, a town in the state of Nuevo Leon. The women are originally from Doctor Coss, a nearby town.

Nuevo Leon authorities have put out a missing persons alert for the three women, but there hasn't been significant progress. The case comes in the midst of a heightened alert following the kidnapping of four U.S. citizens and the murder of two of them after crossing the border into Mexico. Both the Federal Administration and the State of Texas issued different warnings discouraging U.S. citizens from traveling to the neighboring country.

Avoid traveling to Mexico during Spring Break

In light of the latest developments, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) urged Texans to avoid traveling to Mexico during spring break "and beyond," due to the ongoing violence throughout the country.

"Drug cartel violence and other criminal activity represent a significant safety threat to anyone who crosses into Mexico right now," said DPS Director Steven McCraw. "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."

Texas added its own warning to the one recently issued by the U.S. Government. Last month, the State Department issued a level 4 "no travel" warning for many areas of Mexico. The warning is a result of heightened levels of crime and risk of kidnapping in specific locations such as the states of Guerrero, Colima, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. The State Department advises tourists to "reconsider travel" in a level 3 warning, to seven other states: Baja California, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos and Sonora. The federal warnings extend to popular tourist spots such as Cancun or the Riviera Maya, where travelers are urged to "exercise extreme caution."

In any case, and in the midst of the spring break season, all travelers are encouraged to carefully research any potential trips and consider postponing or canceling travel to Mexico.