WAR Zone: Baja, Mexico

Traveling to northern Baja, Mexico along the picturesque coastline of the blue Pacific Ocean was once an enjoyable leisure activity. Apparently, times there have changed dramatically - dangerously so.

This locale has long been cherished by Americans - surfers, campers, and others who appreciate the scenic seashore and pristine beaches as well as the friendly Mexican people and the inexpensive seafood restaurants. Tourists visiting San Diego find it alluring to day - trip to another country searching for shopping bargains or just cultural diversity.

Recently - especially over the past eight months - there have been an increasing number of reports of armed robberies, shooting incidents, and car jackings - even kidnappings - involving visitors to this beautiful, normally serene coastal region. These atrocities are being promulgated by well organized criminal elements who view visitors from up north as easy marks.

Mexican law prohibits guns to be carried into Mexico. You are warned of this at the border with unmistakable clarity. Penalties are severe for those caught with weapons in their vehicles or on their person. Apparently, the well armed criminals- some with automatic rifles - know of their advantage in robbing the unarmed.

Recent news accounts in the local San Diego Union - Tribune and other newspapers lead with such disquieting headlines as “Troubling sign in Baja…Surfers warn of armed robberies while camping on Mexican coast.” and “Surfer's Baja tale is warning to others…Camping trip ended in robbery, assault…”; the latest on January 24th being “Baja tourist bid enters crisis mode….” The November 25th edition of the North County Times ran with this: “U.S. renews warning to Baja travelers.” These and others have brought to light what has apparently become all too commonplace there. While at least seven atrocities have been documented, it is believed numerous other crimes of this nature have gone unreported due to distrust of Mexican authorities. In at least one instance, an RV was fired into when the occupants refused to open the door. When they complied with the robbers' demands, a woman in the vehicle was sexually assaulted while the robbers held her male companion at gunpoint. Surfers have been accosted by armed thugs on a too regular basis. Campers are especially at risk in the camp grounds which abound on the coast highway.

As one veteran Baja camper relates: “It is like the Wild West down there now.” The situation has become so potentially dangerous that many others, some long time visitors to the area, vow to never return. “It's an end of an era.” says one recent victim.

Most of the incidents have occurred south of Tijuana on the toll road along the coast to Ensenada and south. Most were at night on that road or in camp grounds nearby. During daylight hours there are patrols by the respected tourist assistance organization Angeles Verdes (Green Angels); there are none after dark along the unlighted highway.

The tactics have varied. Some people were pulled over by drivers dressed in military style uniforms with "official" looking vehicles equipped with flashing lights and sirens; others became victims while they slept in campgrounds or in their RV's parked along the highway. In each case, the thugs were well armed and ruthless, terrorizing their victims, and most times leaving them in fear of their lives.

Over the last Thanksgiving holiday weekend, tourism apparently dipped dramatically enough for local Mexican officials to become outwardly concerned. Mexican tourism industry officials know that the adverse publicity could be disastrous. An estimated 25 million visitors flock to Baja annually, most from Southern California. Meetings are being held to discuss what has become an embarrassment. Some say that millions of dollars in revenue have already been lost there - perhaps up to a 30% decline in spending over the last year - and that news of these most recent atrocities will further harm the tourism business, a major factor in the economy of the region.

Until recently, Mexican law enforcement officials had downplayed the problem hoping it would go away. Go away it did not as publicized reports of this malady erupted throughout the news and on television and began to effect tourism in a dramatic way. In January, Mexican government officials held emergency meetings concerned that the security problem had drastically affected tourism as word of these atrocities was publicized. An estimated 1.5 million less visitors to the region in 2007 than 2006 has prompted action on their behalf. A public relations firm has been hired and posters and other materials are being distributed urging Americans and others to “Come Back!”

Oscar Escobedo Carignan, Baja California's tourism secretary, pronounced at a January 23rd news conference “The image of the security problem has hit the state very badly...It is a challenge and we are working on it.” Escobar has stated that enhanced security patrols along the highway from Tijuana to Ensenada are in effect and are working to alleviate the problem. “…we feel confident that this will not be an issue anymore.” says Escobar. However, he believes that news reports have exaggerated the situation blowing it out of proportion. (Not if you become a victim of one of these all too frequent crimes!)

“We want to make it safe for visitors…” says one coastal town major. But safe it is not. The facts are that paramilitary style thugs roam the highways of Baja preying upon visiting Southern Californians and other tourists with increasing violence. The United States has issued a "Travel Advisory" warning Americans about the possible dangers of travel to that area.

Sadly, Baja California has become a war zone; Americans are wisely advised to travel there at their own risk until - and if - Mexican officials rectify this egregious situation and regain control of their once safe and friendly coastal vacation mecca.