Rising tensions in Mexico are forcing students to rethink their spring break getaways.
Tina Devita, a mother of a Penn State University student, was already uneasy about her 19-year-old son’s planned trip to Puerto Vallarta. After watching political tensions escalate this week, she decided to tell him to cancel it.
“He was like, ‘Yeah, mom, no kidding. There’s no way I’m going,’” said Devita, age 52.
On Sunday, Mexico’s most-wanted cartel boss and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, was killed in a Mexican military operation aided by the United States.
El Mencho’s death sparked a wave of violence from suspected gang members as reported by the Associated Press, leading the U.S. State Department to instruct American nationals traveling in parts of Mexico to “seek shelter” and remain in residences or hotels.
Tourists were stranded after several U.S. carriers suspended flights to Puerto Vallarta and other parts of Mexico as hundreds of blockades were reported across 20 Mexican states.
Devita’s son, Marcus, was among college students at Penn State who had booked a trip to Puerto Vallarta through the Nevada-based travel agency JusCollege. The students had been scheduled to leave on March 8.
“They’re more relieved that they’re not in the situation. Of one of the boys said, ‘Can you imagine if we were down there and this happened?’” Devita, who lives in Philadelphia, said.
The spring break travel time period in the Greater Pittsburgh area picks up at the end of February and continues through mid-March.
Duquesne and Carnegie Mellon universities’ spring break schedule begins on March 2, while Point Park and University of Pittsburgh’s spring breaks begin on March 8, according to the college’s academic calendars.
Lou Corsaro, a spokesman for Point Park, said that Mexico is not typically a popular spring break destination for the university’s students.
“(The) Office of Student Affairs has not heard about students going to Mexico for spring break and we have not received any inquiries of concern,” Corsaro said in a statement to TribLive. “Generally speaking, we encourage students to contact airlines and hotels/resorts for information in advance of leaving for any trips.”
Duquesne, Pitt and Carnegie Mellon officials either did not respond or were unable to provide information regarding any students planning on traveling to Mexico for spring break on Monday.
Westmoreland County Community College Spokeswoman Janet Corrinne-Harvey said the college’s Office of Student Life did not have information or data on spring break travel plans of students.
“Our break is only three days so unlike a 4-year institution that may offer a week,” Corrinne-Harvey said in an email statement.
Community College of Allegheny County officials did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.
U.S. News Travel listed Cancun as number one in Best Spring Break Destinations for 2026 while United Airlines has Cabo San Lucas as the number one place to spring break for last year.
The Pittsburgh International Airport offers nonstop flights to Cancun on Saturdays on American Airlines, Bob Kerlik, spokesman for Allegheny County Airport Authority said.
“We are not seeing an impact on that flight at this time. For connecting flights to other destinations in Mexico, you’d have to ask the airlines,” Kerlik said.
Recent Pitt graduate Josh Horan, of Etna, said he traveled to Cozumel, which is an island in Mexico and not connected to the mainland like Puerto Vallarta, about three years ago with his family.
When Horan and his family briefly visited the mainland during their trip, he said locals showed them around and he enjoyed the experience. Though he noted it’s a popular destination for college students during spring break, he said he wouldn’t encourage students to travel there now.
“I think Mexico and the people there are beautiful, and it was great to go there. However, on that end, it’s not worth putting yourself or other people in danger,” Horan, age 23, said. “As far as people who are traveling, maybe for spring break or for whatever else, I think … that’s a risk I probably wouldn’t take.”
On Monday, the U.S. Department of State had Mexico listed with a level two travel advisory, warning that The U.S. government has limited ability to help in many parts of Mexico and that emergency services are limited or unavailable in remote or rural areas.
When Devita heard about the cartel leader’s death, she immediately texted a group chat with all of her son’s friend’s mothers.
“The general sentiment this morning was all of us felt uncomfortable anyway … we’re not sending them no matter what they lose and refunds, we don’t care what they spent, lost flights, lost tickets, doesn’t matter,” Devita said.
Luckily for Devita’s son, JusCollege sent out an alert that the agency was canceling travel to Puerto Vallarta and providing alternative spring break plans to either Miami or Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
“Safety is and always will be our top priority. We know how much this trip meant to you, and this was not an easy call,” the alert from JusCollege said, which was provided to TribLive from a Penn State parent.
JusCollege also offered a full refund.
As of Monday morning, Devita said her son had not decided whether to travel somewhere else or get his money back.
“There’s so many other beautiful places to go, and just for years, I’ve always felt… it was a matter of time before it (the cartel) was going to start to affect Americans,” Devita said.