CIEE has received inquiries in recent weeks on student safety and security in Mexico and whether or not we plan to continue to operate our study abroad programs in summer and fall 2009. CIEE does plan to operate its intensive summer Spanish Language program this coming summer and the Liberal Arts semester program this fall.
The Travel Alert issued on February 20, 2009 by the U.S. Department of State urges that everyone visiting Mexico exercise caution, particularly in the areas along the U.S.-Mexico border, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City, and Ciudad Juarez, which have seen significant increases in violent crime related to narcotics trafficking.
CIEE takes issues of safety, security, and student welfare very seriously. Although we cannot guarantee the safety of any individual in any specific location, CIEE Portland and resident staff continually monitor information from both official sources and local, on-site resources in order to provide students with reasonable precautions so that they may have a safe experience.
The CIEE Study Center in Guanajuato has full-time CIEE resident staff members, one of whom is a native Mexican. All students participate in an extensive orientation on safety and security and are updated throughout the semester by resident staff on any changes in the local environment that would impact their welfare. During the semester, students live with host families who provide an extra level of support by giving advice on where to go and what precautions to take.
Guanajuato is considered to be one of the safest cities in Mexico. It is the state capital and home to the governor, which results in a consistently high level of security. It is also a small city where many residents generally know one another, wealth is not terribly visible, and most of the population is middle-class so there is a less obvious gap in economic imbalances than elsewhere in Mexico.
Please contact Christine Wintersteen at cwintersteen@ciee.org or 207.553.4054 with any questions/issues regarding this update.