With spring break coming up April 6-10, students may want to reconsider plans to go south of the border. The U.S. State Department has issued a travel alert warning against traveling to U.S.-Mexico border towns due to an increase in crime and violence.

The alert, issued Feb. 20 and listed as active, read in part, “Robberies, homicides, petty thefts, and carjackings have all increased over the last year across Mexico generally, with notable spikes in Tijuana and northern Baja California. Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana and Nogales are among the cities which have recently experienced public shootouts during daylight hours in shopping centers and other public venues. Criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles in border areas including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, and Tijuana.”

The report said that in Ciudad Juarez alone, more than 1,800 people have been killed since Jan. 2008. To read the full text of the report, click here.

While Fresno State does not typically issue travel advisories for students, Student Affairs Vice President Paul M. Oliaro and Associated Students, Inc. President Graham Wahlberg said there is increasing concern about potential danger and they want students to be aware of it.

“The last thing I want is for my fellow students to be in dangerous situations during spring break,â€Â said Wahlberg.

Several universities across the country have also issued advisories.

Oliaro said Fresno State students are being encouraged to consider participating in a community-service project instead of traveling during.

Chris Fiorentino, director of the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, said an informational event March 25 will include service opportunities available during spring break. One opportunity, called Alternative Spring Break, will involve a small group of students in a series of organized service activities during the week off.