| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico | December 2009 
Few Heed Warnings on Way to Mexico
 Jesse Olivarez - The Oklahoman
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December 27, 2009
Despite travel warnings asking people to stay away, many people returned to Mexico for the holidays.
Maria Lopez, a spokeswoman for Rapidos Chihuahua, a local bus service, said a steady stream of people have been filing into her office during the past several days buying tickets to Mexico.
Most of the travelers are families returning to visit relatives in their home country, she said.
"There are more people going this year than last year, she said. "Some said they were leaving because of the poor job market here, but most will return.
Travel to Mexico comes at a time when the U.S. State Department has warned people against traveling to the country.
In August, the department issued a travel warning asking people to postpone travel to Mexico, especially to the states of Michoacan and Chihuahua. The warning was issued after two American citizens were abducted and killed by drug traffickers in July. The killings are part of a bloody battle between the Mexican government and several drug cartels in the area.
Despite the warnings, bus ticket sales still rose.
Juan Hernandez, a spokesman for Autobuses Los Paisanos, said travel to Mexico slumped last year in large part because of fears about swine flu, but sales have rebounded. He said most of the travelers wanted to make up for the time lost last year.
Bill Brooks, a spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol, said his agency knows a lot of people return to Mexico during the holidays, but an exact count is not kept.
The roads to Mexico usually are flooded with traffic this time of year but the Border Patrol does not beef up its patrols, he said.
"We dont keep track of people going southbound, he said. "When they get to the international bridge, they just go right across into Mexico.
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