(PNS reporting from MEXICO CITY) In the widest travel advisory since the Zoot Suit Riots of the 1940s, the Mexican government is recommending that Mexicans avoid travel to all or parts of the United States of America.
Mexico’s State Department has warned against any nonessential travel in all of California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico as well as the entire South, including Florida.
The advisory issued Tuesday note that Mexican citizens have been victims of offically-sanctioned governmental racism, including scapegoating, false statistics and Jim Crow-era laws. It is the first time the Mexican government listed advisories for the entire United States.
Many American elected officials have decried the warning for its potential impact on tourism and the economy. The State Department has said that some large taco trucks have already stopped their ports of call in San Diego.
Mexican President Felipe Calderón has expressed disappointment and disbelief in the way the USA has treated Mexicans.
“Damms, it’s a real mess up there! Y things jus keep getting worse. Hijole! Our people fear for their safety y sanity. Did you hear the gringos banned books in Arizona? Que crazee!…so jes, we are advising all of our gente to stay put porque if we wanted to catch hell for being the wrong color, we’d just turn on Telemundo,” Calderón told PNS.
Here’s a condensed version of Mexico’s warnings:
- Arizona: Exercise extreme caution, particularly if you have books or can read.
- California: Exercise caution around Republicans and particularly when traveling near the OC.
- Texas: Exercise caution when in contact with any person with a Ron Paul or Rick Perry bumper sticker.
- Alabama: Exercise extreme caution when near public schools or near fields with rotting crops.
- Florida: Exercise caution when dealing with Cuban Republicans and or state lawmakers.
- Georgia: Exercise extreme caution in the entire state – it’s pretty much like The Walking Dead.
For more details, access the Southern Poverty Law Center’s interactive Hate Map .
S. J. Rivera is an Indie Publisher/Author and Smartass @ Broken Sword Publications