According to the U.S. State Department, more Americans are killed in Mexico than in every other country combined. 

Let that sink in.

One-third of travelers who visit Mexico fly through Texas, and many of them are Texas residents spending Texas dollars. Could it be that we don’t fully grasp how bad it’s gotten across the border? 

Just this week, Fox News is reporting the story of yet another American being murdered in Mexico; this time a firefighter found wedged in a bathroom window with his entire body covered in bruises. His wife awoke without him, after having a few drinks at the bar, and now she’s a widow without a single answer as to what happened to her husband. Mexican authorities are blaming asphyxiation, yet have no explanation for his badly beaten body. 

This latest murder happened right in Cancun, an area traditionally safe from drug cartels and violence, but both seem to be creeping into tourist areas throughout Mexico.

But that’s not all that’s creeping in. A new level of disgust has formed as travelers are reporting piles of feces on the shores of Quintana Roo. Yes, feces, and its origin is disturbing to say the least. 

I spoke with Terrie Dollard who travelled to an Air B&B just north of Cancun for a quiet getaway. “On the day we arrived, we decided to take a stroll on the beach,” she said.” Suddenly we noticed piles of feces on the beach. The more we walked, the more we saw; I’m talking every couple of feet, a new pile. So we stopped to inspect it, and sure enough, it was human feces.”

Perplexed and disgusted, Dollard returned to her Air B&B and did a little research. What she found astounded her. Residents of the nearby Riu resort commented on Tripadvisor that they noticed the same thing. When they asked the resort employees about it, they were told the piles were manatee feces… except manatees favor quiet waters and the feces is clearly washing up from the ocean. 

Turns out, the small island just across the water, Isla Mujeres, has grown wildly in popularity, but the infrastructure has not kept up with the demand. The Mexican government has not required the proper sanitation disposal on the island, so human waste is literally being dumped into the ocean, where it then washes ashore near Cancun. The government is well aware this is going on and is doing nothing to upgrade the system or stop the dumping.

And it doesn’t stop there. The feces is contaminating local vegetables and fruits at hotels and resorts along the corridor, and travelers have gone home sick to the point of hospitalization. According to the UK’s Daily Express, “There has been an increase of cases of Cyclospora cayetanensis infection in travelers returning from Mexico, particularly from Cancun and the Riviera Maya. The ‘poo bug’ is usually caught from eating raw fruit and vegetables contaminated with human feces. The foods commonly involved are soft fruits such as raspberries and salad products such as coriander, basil, and lettuce.”

So now we have reported incidents of human feces littering the beaches, vacationers being assaulted and killed, and the Mexican government’s refusal to admit any wrongdoing on its part.

I have to ask: why do we keep going to Mexico, where our money is being funneled to drug lords and our citizens are being endangered by gangs, cartels, drugs, and now, even feces?