Warning issued on Mexico trips

The Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has taken the unusual step of urging college students to avoid parts of northern Mexico during spring break.

The bureau’s Los Angeles field division said Monday that it discourages travel to Tijuana and Rosarito Beach.

It noted that both cities, which are just south of San Diego, have had a lot of drug-fueled violence.

Rosarito has long been a popular destination for Southern California students on spring break.

The ATF’s warning goes a step further than one issued by the State Department last month.

That warning advised travelers to Mexico to avoid areas of prostitution and drug-dealing and to take other common-sense precautions.

The ATF is responsible for preventing arms smuggling into Mexico.