drug war

Escalating violence related to the cross-border drug trade has caused Texas authorities to advise spring break revelers to avoid Mexico. The Mexico Tourism Board countered that traveling south of the border remains safe. At stake is a big chunk of the $12 billion that tourists spend in Mexico each year.

Illegal immigrant populations are shrinking in New York, Florida and the Mountain West state as undocumented workers relocate to states that offer more promise of finding work, such as Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. And overall, the drop in immigration has stabilized.

A Bloomberg Markets magazine article follows the trail of cocaine and drug money through the Mexican cartels and finds millions of dollars flowed through major U.S. banks, such as Wachovia and Bank of America.