EL PASO -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Ysleta port of entry discovered 29.7 pounds of cocaine and 22.2 pounds of marijuana in a car being driven by a 60-year-old man, officials said.
Luis Vidal, 60, was arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents for prosecution.
The bust was made Thursday morning and was one of many busts made by CBP officers working at area ports during the week.
Officials said a Ford F-150 driven by Vidal entered the port shortly after 5 a.m. During the primary inspection of the vehicle, drug sniffing dog "Taxi" alerted officers to the truck. After a secondary search of the vehicle, agents discovered a hidden compartment in the backseat of the truck.
CBP officers also made 19 drug busts during the week. They seized a total of 1,685 pounds of marijuana in 18 seizures and 29.8 pounds of cocaine in one additional bust.
Officers also recorded 118 immigration violations at area ports. Imposters made up the largest group of immigration violators and made up 52 of the violations. Officials say they generally use a legitimate entry document assigned to another person and present it as their own. Violators generally lose their documents and are returned to Mexico.
Officers also nabbed 40 intended immigrants this week. In these cases, individuals will use a legally issued border-crossing card (laser visa) to live or work in the U.S. Officials said this is not authorized. They also lose their documents and are generally returned to Mexico.
Officers also nabbed 26 people who made false claims to U.S. citizenship, attempted to enter with counterfeit or altered documents, visa overstay violations, and those attempting to enter without inspection.
Showing posts with label Border Crossing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Border Crossing. Show all posts
September 12, 2008
August 30, 2008
Migrant Minds: The border is no boundary for some Mexican students
August 30, 2008 - 11:06PM
Jeremy Roebuck
Adrianna Gomez wakes her 14-year-old son before dawn every morning, lays out his coat and tie and drives him across an international boundary just to go to school.
With a full day of classes at Pharr's Oratory Academy followed by soccer and tennis afterward, he often won't return to his spacious Reynosa home until nearly 12 hours later.
Angelita Martinez Morales also hoped her children could attend Rio Grande Valley schools. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested her Aug. 10 as she guided them across the river near Pharr.
She later told a federal magistrate judge she had to get her children - all U.S. citizens - back into the country before the start of the school year.
The two women may be divided by economic status, but ultimately both want the same thing for their children: the best educational opportunities they can provide.
Like hundreds of other families just south of the U.S.-Mexico border, they adjust their schedules, idle in bridge traffic every morning and sometimes break the law - all to send their children to U.S. schools.
"It's a sacrifice," said Gomez, 36, in Spanish. "But the river is inconsequential. It's just a problem of geography."
Some more affluent families - like Gomez's - attend legally by paying tuition to private schools or even buying homes to establish residency in public school districts. Her son, Ernesto, has his student visas in order and has been preparing to enter U.S. schools since his first English classes in kindergarten.
Plenty of others, though, ignore the rules. They provide fake addresses to enroll at public schools or - like Martinez - enter the country illegally in hopes of staying the whole school year.
While cities in the interior United States have only begun to seriously address this increasing immigrant population at their schools, this daily migration has been a way of life in the Valley for decades.
"In so many families, the community is not divided by a border like the land," said Elaine Hampton, a University of Texas-El Paso professor who has studied educational systems on both sides of the border. "It makes it hard to peg exactly where you live. What constitutes a permanent address?"
UNCERTAIN ENROLLMENT
Nobody knows exactly how many Mexican residents attend schools in the Valley, but some districts estimate they make up as much as 10 percent of their total enrollment.
A 1982 federal court ruling bars public schools from inquiring into the legal residency of students, but those enrolling must prove they live within the district - usually by providing a utility bill.
Some parents are so eager to have their children attend school here they will send them to live with an aunt or grandparent during the week and pick them up to spend their weekends in Mexico.
Others, however, "borrow" the addresses of relatives and friends to enroll their students even though the Mexican family never actually lived there.
"If they come and register with an address that's in the district, we can't deny them," McAllen schools spokesman Mark May said.
But the signs of illegal enrollment are everywhere.
Minivans with Mexican plates stack the pick-up and drop-off lines at schools in Hidalgo, La Joya and Brownsville.
Each day, students in school uniforms groggily amble away from the Roma-Miguel Alemán international bridge.
In the predawn fog, teenagers loaded down with book bags avoid eye contact with passersby because of past problems they have had with their district residency.
But 16-year-old Alemania was eager to explain why she risks the morning commute.
"My parents thought this was a better option," she said.
LACKING RESOURCES
Alemania, who spoke on the condition that she not be fully identified, attended public schools in Miguel Alemán, Tamps., until three years ago.
Although she says she preferred her friends in Mexico, she recognizes that the schools in Roma have better resources such as high-tech computer labs, extracurricular activities and English-language training.
The proliferation of maquiladoras in many Mexican border towns in the past decade has brought dozens of families to cities like Reynosa and Matamoros looking for work, but the region's public school system has not kept up with the growth.
Students in Mexican schools attend half-days in cinderblock buildings and go to class in shifts because of school overcrowding.
Parents must pay for uniforms, bus fare and supplies, and in some cases are expected to supplement the school's operating budget.
And a lack of secondary schools prompts many students to drop out after the elementary level. Only 66 percent of 15-year-olds south of the border attend classes on a daily basis, according to a 2003 Mexican government survey.
Fifteen-year-old Joseph has spent time in classrooms on both sides of the river. But as he crossed the Roma-Miguel Alemán bridge last week, he said there is no doubt where he would rather attend.
"Living in Roma is boring," he said. "But the education is much better."
‘IT'S NOT FAIR'
While Alemania and Joseph both know they are breaking the law, small districts like Roma don't always look at students like them as a problem.
They are often more eager to learn and their parents are more involved because of the effort their families have undertaken to secure their education, district spokesman Ricardo Perez said.
"It's not like they're dumping their kids over here," he said. "They're actively seeking out a better education."
And the higher the school's enrollment, the more state and federal money the district receives.
But larger, more affluent districts like the McAllen school system can't afford to allow students who live outside the district to attend its campuses, said John Wilde, director of student support services for the district.
In addition to straining school resources, students with limited English speaking abilities routinely score lower on standardized tests.
"It's a significant issue," he said. "Imagine if you're paying taxes on a half-million-dollar home because you want your child to go to Garcia Elementary, and then we have to transfer you to another school because Garcia's too crowded.
"It's not fair that there may be people that don't live in the district taking your child's spot."
Wilde's office investigates dozens of cases each year of students suspected of lying on their enrollment papers.
Using returned mail, reports from other parents and red flags from campus administrators, his employees drop by the listed addresses in the early morning hours to see who really lives where they say they do.
Lying on a public document is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, but the district rarely seeks prosecution against the parents. Expulsion is a more likely response.
A week into this school year, Wilde has already received 30 to 40 red-flag reports that the district plans to begin investigating in the coming weeks.
GREATER OPPORTUNITIES
Angelita Martinez, the mother arrested for bringing her children across the river, never even got that far. A federal judge sentenced her to 10 days of confinement in a federal detention center. The fate of her children - all of whom she said were U.S. citizens - remains unknown.
Adrianna Gomez, meanwhile, hopes to send her younger children to Oratory's school in Pharr once they reach seventh grade.
She says she has already seen the payoff for her family's sacrifices in her teenage son, Ernesto.
A confident 14-year-old who can speak eloquently in Spanish and English, he hopes to go to Yale University and become a lawyer after graduation.
"You can see a big difference between my friends here and over there," he said. "The opportunities over here are just greater."
Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.ok
Jeremy Roebuck
Adrianna Gomez wakes her 14-year-old son before dawn every morning, lays out his coat and tie and drives him across an international boundary just to go to school.
With a full day of classes at Pharr's Oratory Academy followed by soccer and tennis afterward, he often won't return to his spacious Reynosa home until nearly 12 hours later.
Angelita Martinez Morales also hoped her children could attend Rio Grande Valley schools. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested her Aug. 10 as she guided them across the river near Pharr.
She later told a federal magistrate judge she had to get her children - all U.S. citizens - back into the country before the start of the school year.
The two women may be divided by economic status, but ultimately both want the same thing for their children: the best educational opportunities they can provide.
Like hundreds of other families just south of the U.S.-Mexico border, they adjust their schedules, idle in bridge traffic every morning and sometimes break the law - all to send their children to U.S. schools.
"It's a sacrifice," said Gomez, 36, in Spanish. "But the river is inconsequential. It's just a problem of geography."
Some more affluent families - like Gomez's - attend legally by paying tuition to private schools or even buying homes to establish residency in public school districts. Her son, Ernesto, has his student visas in order and has been preparing to enter U.S. schools since his first English classes in kindergarten.
Plenty of others, though, ignore the rules. They provide fake addresses to enroll at public schools or - like Martinez - enter the country illegally in hopes of staying the whole school year.
While cities in the interior United States have only begun to seriously address this increasing immigrant population at their schools, this daily migration has been a way of life in the Valley for decades.
"In so many families, the community is not divided by a border like the land," said Elaine Hampton, a University of Texas-El Paso professor who has studied educational systems on both sides of the border. "It makes it hard to peg exactly where you live. What constitutes a permanent address?"
UNCERTAIN ENROLLMENT
Nobody knows exactly how many Mexican residents attend schools in the Valley, but some districts estimate they make up as much as 10 percent of their total enrollment.
A 1982 federal court ruling bars public schools from inquiring into the legal residency of students, but those enrolling must prove they live within the district - usually by providing a utility bill.
Some parents are so eager to have their children attend school here they will send them to live with an aunt or grandparent during the week and pick them up to spend their weekends in Mexico.
Others, however, "borrow" the addresses of relatives and friends to enroll their students even though the Mexican family never actually lived there.
"If they come and register with an address that's in the district, we can't deny them," McAllen schools spokesman Mark May said.
But the signs of illegal enrollment are everywhere.
Minivans with Mexican plates stack the pick-up and drop-off lines at schools in Hidalgo, La Joya and Brownsville.
Each day, students in school uniforms groggily amble away from the Roma-Miguel Alemán international bridge.
In the predawn fog, teenagers loaded down with book bags avoid eye contact with passersby because of past problems they have had with their district residency.
But 16-year-old Alemania was eager to explain why she risks the morning commute.
"My parents thought this was a better option," she said.
LACKING RESOURCES
Alemania, who spoke on the condition that she not be fully identified, attended public schools in Miguel Alemán, Tamps., until three years ago.
Although she says she preferred her friends in Mexico, she recognizes that the schools in Roma have better resources such as high-tech computer labs, extracurricular activities and English-language training.
The proliferation of maquiladoras in many Mexican border towns in the past decade has brought dozens of families to cities like Reynosa and Matamoros looking for work, but the region's public school system has not kept up with the growth.
Students in Mexican schools attend half-days in cinderblock buildings and go to class in shifts because of school overcrowding.
Parents must pay for uniforms, bus fare and supplies, and in some cases are expected to supplement the school's operating budget.
And a lack of secondary schools prompts many students to drop out after the elementary level. Only 66 percent of 15-year-olds south of the border attend classes on a daily basis, according to a 2003 Mexican government survey.
Fifteen-year-old Joseph has spent time in classrooms on both sides of the river. But as he crossed the Roma-Miguel Alemán bridge last week, he said there is no doubt where he would rather attend.
"Living in Roma is boring," he said. "But the education is much better."
‘IT'S NOT FAIR'
While Alemania and Joseph both know they are breaking the law, small districts like Roma don't always look at students like them as a problem.
They are often more eager to learn and their parents are more involved because of the effort their families have undertaken to secure their education, district spokesman Ricardo Perez said.
"It's not like they're dumping their kids over here," he said. "They're actively seeking out a better education."
And the higher the school's enrollment, the more state and federal money the district receives.
But larger, more affluent districts like the McAllen school system can't afford to allow students who live outside the district to attend its campuses, said John Wilde, director of student support services for the district.
In addition to straining school resources, students with limited English speaking abilities routinely score lower on standardized tests.
"It's a significant issue," he said. "Imagine if you're paying taxes on a half-million-dollar home because you want your child to go to Garcia Elementary, and then we have to transfer you to another school because Garcia's too crowded.
"It's not fair that there may be people that don't live in the district taking your child's spot."
Wilde's office investigates dozens of cases each year of students suspected of lying on their enrollment papers.
Using returned mail, reports from other parents and red flags from campus administrators, his employees drop by the listed addresses in the early morning hours to see who really lives where they say they do.
Lying on a public document is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, but the district rarely seeks prosecution against the parents. Expulsion is a more likely response.
A week into this school year, Wilde has already received 30 to 40 red-flag reports that the district plans to begin investigating in the coming weeks.
GREATER OPPORTUNITIES
Angelita Martinez, the mother arrested for bringing her children across the river, never even got that far. A federal judge sentenced her to 10 days of confinement in a federal detention center. The fate of her children - all of whom she said were U.S. citizens - remains unknown.
Adrianna Gomez, meanwhile, hopes to send her younger children to Oratory's school in Pharr once they reach seventh grade.
She says she has already seen the payoff for her family's sacrifices in her teenage son, Ernesto.
A confident 14-year-old who can speak eloquently in Spanish and English, he hopes to go to Yale University and become a lawyer after graduation.
"You can see a big difference between my friends here and over there," he said. "The opportunities over here are just greater."
Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.ok
August 20, 2008
Kidnapping victims freed in Miguel Aleman
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 10:34 a.m.
Mexican soldiers set seven alleged kidnapping victims were free in the Tamaulipas border city of Miguel Aleman.
Police arrested the two suspects that investigators believe are responsible for the crime.
The two suspects were taken to Mexico City.
Authorities said did not release details but said the pair are at the center of another investigation.
Investigators told Action 4 News that the victims were immigrants trying to cross into the United States.
The victims claim they were held hostage for at least a month
Mexican soldiers set seven alleged kidnapping victims were free in the Tamaulipas border city of Miguel Aleman.
Police arrested the two suspects that investigators believe are responsible for the crime.
The two suspects were taken to Mexico City.
Authorities said did not release details but said the pair are at the center of another investigation.
Investigators told Action 4 News that the victims were immigrants trying to cross into the United States.
The victims claim they were held hostage for at least a month
Citizens' U.S. Border Crossings Tracked
Dan Garcia
Washington, DC (AP) - The federal government has been using its system of border checkpoints to greatly expand a database on travelers entering the country by collecting information on all U.S. citizens crossing by land, compiling data that will be stored for 15 years and may be used in criminal and intelligence investigations.
Officials say the Border Crossing Information system, disclosed last month by the Department of Homeland Security in a Federal Register notice, is part of a broader effort to guard against terrorist threats. It also reflects the growing number of government systems containing personal information on Americans that can be shared for a broad range of law enforcement and intelligence purposes, some of which are exempt from some Privacy Act protections.
While international air passenger data has long been captured this way, Customs and Border Protection agents only this year began to log the arrivals of all U.S. citizens across land borders, through which about three-quarters of border entries occur.
The volume of people entering the country by land prevented compiling such a database until recently. But the advent of machine-readable identification documents, which the government mandates eventually for everyone crossing the border, has made gathering the information more feasible. By June, all travelers crossing land borders will need to present a machine-readable document, such as a passport or a driver's license with a radio frequency identification chip.
In January, border agents began manually entering into the database the personal information of travelers who did not have such documents.
The disclosure of the database is among a series of notices, officials say, to make DHS's data gathering more transparent. Critics say the moves exemplify efforts by the Bush administration in its final months to cement an unprecedented expansion of data gathering for national security and intelligence purposes.
The data could be used beyond determining whether a person may enter the United States. For instance, information may be shared with foreign agencies when relevant to their hiring or contracting decisions.
Public comments are being taken until Monday, when the "new system of records will be effective," the notice states.
"People expect to be checked when they enter the country and for the government to determine if they're admissible or not," said Greg Nojeim, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology. "What they don't expect is for the government to keep a record for 15 years of their comings into the country."
But DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said the retention period is justified.
"History has shown, whether you are talking about criminal or terrorist activity, that plotting, planning or even relationships among conspirators can go on for years," he said. "Basic travel records can, quite literally, help frontline officers to connect the dots."
The government states in its notice that the system was authorized by post-Sept. 11 laws, including the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act of 2002, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
Nojeim said that though the statutes authorize the government to issue travel documents and check immigration status, he does not believe they explicitly authorize creation of the database.
"This database is, in a sense, worse than a watch list," he said. "At least in the watch-list scenario, there's some reason why the name got on the list. Here, the only thing a person does to come to the attention of DHS is to lawfully cross the border. The theory of this data collection is: Track everyone -- just in case."
Under the system, officials record name, birth date, gender, date and time of crossing, and a photo, where available, for U.S. travelers returning to the country by land, sea or air. The same information is gathered about foreign travelers, but it is held for 75 years.
DHS and other agencies are amassing more and more data that they subject to sophisticated analysis. A customs document issued last month stated that the agency does not perform data mining on border crossings to glean relationships and patterns that could signify a terrorist or law enforcement threat. But the Federal Register notice states that information may be shared with federal, state and local governments to test "new technology and systems designed to enhance border security or identify other violations of law." And the Homeland Security Act establishing the department calls for the development of data-mining tools to further the department's objectives.
That raises concerns, privacy advocates say, that analyses can be undertaken that could implicate innocent people if appropriate safeguards are not used.
The border information system will link to a new database, the Non-Federal Entity Data System, which is being set up to hold personal information about all drivers in a state's database. States that do not agree to allow customs to have such large amounts of information may allow the agency to query their databases in real time for information on a traveler.
Because of privacy concerns, Washington state earlier this year opted for the queries-only approach. The Canadian government made the same decision. "There was absolutely no way they should have the entire database," said Ann Cavoukian, Ontario's privacy commissioner, who learned about the Canadian government's decision in April.
"Once you have data in a database you don't need, it lends itself to unauthorized use," she said. "You have no idea of the data creep."
Vermont opted to allow access to its driver's licenses because the state could not guarantee the "nanoseconds" response time DHS required, said Bonnie L. Rutledge, the state's commissioner of motor vehicles. She said drivers are informed up front of the data sharing.
"A person opts to go over the border, their information is going to be collected and held anyway," she said. "If you don't want to go over the border, you don't have to."
The notice states that the government may share border records with federal, state, local, tribal or foreign government agencies in cases where customs believes the information would assist enforcement of civil or criminal laws or regulations, or if the information is relevant to a hiring decision.
They may be shared with a court or attorney in civil litigation, which could include divorce cases; with federal contractors or consultants "to accomplish an agency function related to this system of records"; with federal and foreign intelligence or counterterrorism agencies if there is a threat to national or international security or to assist in anti-terrorism efforts; or with the news media and the public "when there exists a legitimate public interest in the disclosure of the information."
Homeland Security is proposing to exempt the database from some provisions of the 1974 Privacy Act, including the right of a citizen to know whether a law enforcement or intelligence agency has requested his or her records and the right to sue for access and correction in those disclosures.
A traveler may, however, request access to records based on documents he or she presented at the border.
The notice is posted at the Government Printing Office's Web site
Washington, DC (AP) - The federal government has been using its system of border checkpoints to greatly expand a database on travelers entering the country by collecting information on all U.S. citizens crossing by land, compiling data that will be stored for 15 years and may be used in criminal and intelligence investigations.
Officials say the Border Crossing Information system, disclosed last month by the Department of Homeland Security in a Federal Register notice, is part of a broader effort to guard against terrorist threats. It also reflects the growing number of government systems containing personal information on Americans that can be shared for a broad range of law enforcement and intelligence purposes, some of which are exempt from some Privacy Act protections.
While international air passenger data has long been captured this way, Customs and Border Protection agents only this year began to log the arrivals of all U.S. citizens across land borders, through which about three-quarters of border entries occur.
The volume of people entering the country by land prevented compiling such a database until recently. But the advent of machine-readable identification documents, which the government mandates eventually for everyone crossing the border, has made gathering the information more feasible. By June, all travelers crossing land borders will need to present a machine-readable document, such as a passport or a driver's license with a radio frequency identification chip.
In January, border agents began manually entering into the database the personal information of travelers who did not have such documents.
The disclosure of the database is among a series of notices, officials say, to make DHS's data gathering more transparent. Critics say the moves exemplify efforts by the Bush administration in its final months to cement an unprecedented expansion of data gathering for national security and intelligence purposes.
The data could be used beyond determining whether a person may enter the United States. For instance, information may be shared with foreign agencies when relevant to their hiring or contracting decisions.
Public comments are being taken until Monday, when the "new system of records will be effective," the notice states.
"People expect to be checked when they enter the country and for the government to determine if they're admissible or not," said Greg Nojeim, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology. "What they don't expect is for the government to keep a record for 15 years of their comings into the country."
But DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said the retention period is justified.
"History has shown, whether you are talking about criminal or terrorist activity, that plotting, planning or even relationships among conspirators can go on for years," he said. "Basic travel records can, quite literally, help frontline officers to connect the dots."
The government states in its notice that the system was authorized by post-Sept. 11 laws, including the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act of 2002, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
Nojeim said that though the statutes authorize the government to issue travel documents and check immigration status, he does not believe they explicitly authorize creation of the database.
"This database is, in a sense, worse than a watch list," he said. "At least in the watch-list scenario, there's some reason why the name got on the list. Here, the only thing a person does to come to the attention of DHS is to lawfully cross the border. The theory of this data collection is: Track everyone -- just in case."
Under the system, officials record name, birth date, gender, date and time of crossing, and a photo, where available, for U.S. travelers returning to the country by land, sea or air. The same information is gathered about foreign travelers, but it is held for 75 years.
DHS and other agencies are amassing more and more data that they subject to sophisticated analysis. A customs document issued last month stated that the agency does not perform data mining on border crossings to glean relationships and patterns that could signify a terrorist or law enforcement threat. But the Federal Register notice states that information may be shared with federal, state and local governments to test "new technology and systems designed to enhance border security or identify other violations of law." And the Homeland Security Act establishing the department calls for the development of data-mining tools to further the department's objectives.
That raises concerns, privacy advocates say, that analyses can be undertaken that could implicate innocent people if appropriate safeguards are not used.
The border information system will link to a new database, the Non-Federal Entity Data System, which is being set up to hold personal information about all drivers in a state's database. States that do not agree to allow customs to have such large amounts of information may allow the agency to query their databases in real time for information on a traveler.
Because of privacy concerns, Washington state earlier this year opted for the queries-only approach. The Canadian government made the same decision. "There was absolutely no way they should have the entire database," said Ann Cavoukian, Ontario's privacy commissioner, who learned about the Canadian government's decision in April.
"Once you have data in a database you don't need, it lends itself to unauthorized use," she said. "You have no idea of the data creep."
Vermont opted to allow access to its driver's licenses because the state could not guarantee the "nanoseconds" response time DHS required, said Bonnie L. Rutledge, the state's commissioner of motor vehicles. She said drivers are informed up front of the data sharing.
"A person opts to go over the border, their information is going to be collected and held anyway," she said. "If you don't want to go over the border, you don't have to."
The notice states that the government may share border records with federal, state, local, tribal or foreign government agencies in cases where customs believes the information would assist enforcement of civil or criminal laws or regulations, or if the information is relevant to a hiring decision.
They may be shared with a court or attorney in civil litigation, which could include divorce cases; with federal contractors or consultants "to accomplish an agency function related to this system of records"; with federal and foreign intelligence or counterterrorism agencies if there is a threat to national or international security or to assist in anti-terrorism efforts; or with the news media and the public "when there exists a legitimate public interest in the disclosure of the information."
Homeland Security is proposing to exempt the database from some provisions of the 1974 Privacy Act, including the right of a citizen to know whether a law enforcement or intelligence agency has requested his or her records and the right to sue for access and correction in those disclosures.
A traveler may, however, request access to records based on documents he or she presented at the border.
The notice is posted at the Government Printing Office's Web site
August 18, 2008
Man Shot in Juarez Brought to Thomason
Posted: Aug 17, 2008 12:12 AM CDT
Posted by Cristina Rodda KDBC 4 News
Another man has been injured in the on-going violence in Juarez and has been brought for medical care to Thomason Hospital.
City officials confirm that the 37-year-old man was brought to Thomason Saturday after crossing the Bridge of the Americas.
It's reported that the man was shot in the stomach as he escaped being abducted by three or four people. He was transported in serious condition. It is not known whether the man is an American or Mexican national.
Posted by Cristina Rodda KDBC 4 News
Another man has been injured in the on-going violence in Juarez and has been brought for medical care to Thomason Hospital.
City officials confirm that the 37-year-old man was brought to Thomason Saturday after crossing the Bridge of the Americas.
It's reported that the man was shot in the stomach as he escaped being abducted by three or four people. He was transported in serious condition. It is not known whether the man is an American or Mexican national.
August 9, 2008
Mexican law limits Americans border-crossing for gas
Updated: 8/9/2008 1:38:58 PM
By: CNN
A San Antonio couple learned about a Mexican gas-purchasing law the hard way.
The new law is designed to stop bootleggers crossing into Mexico from the U.S. for cheaper gas and diesel.
Bobby and Andy McCulley were headed back to Del Rio from Mexico Thursday, when they were stopped by Mexican officials.
The McCulleys said the officers drove their truck to an impound lot, and they were asked to surrender the keys and their drivers licenses.
When they asked why their truck was being held, they got no response from officers.
"We wanted to see a copy of the law and they wouldn't let us see a copy of the law—of course I don't think there is a copy of the law." Bobby Mcculley said. "They said it was a matter of national security."
Two other Americans stopped by authorities opted to leave their vehicles behind in Mexico, but the McCulleys fought the officers.
They were released after a lengthy wait.
The McCulleys credit the U.S. Border Patrol, the Valverde County Sheriff's Office and their friends on both sides of the border for putting pressure on Mexican authorities.
By: CNN
A San Antonio couple learned about a Mexican gas-purchasing law the hard way.
The new law is designed to stop bootleggers crossing into Mexico from the U.S. for cheaper gas and diesel.
Bobby and Andy McCulley were headed back to Del Rio from Mexico Thursday, when they were stopped by Mexican officials.
The McCulleys said the officers drove their truck to an impound lot, and they were asked to surrender the keys and their drivers licenses.
When they asked why their truck was being held, they got no response from officers.
"We wanted to see a copy of the law and they wouldn't let us see a copy of the law—of course I don't think there is a copy of the law." Bobby Mcculley said. "They said it was a matter of national security."
Two other Americans stopped by authorities opted to leave their vehicles behind in Mexico, but the McCulleys fought the officers.
They were released after a lengthy wait.
The McCulleys credit the U.S. Border Patrol, the Valverde County Sheriff's Office and their friends on both sides of the border for putting pressure on Mexican authorities.
August 7, 2008
Side Step - New Mexican Law Stopping Thrifty Gas Shoppers At Border
POSTED: 9:48 pm CDT August 7, 2008
CIUDAD ACUNA, Coahuila, Mexico -- People going across the border to save some bucks on gas may find out the hard way about a new Mexican law.
The new law restricts the amount of gas Americans can buy across the border, and one couple said Mexican authorities seized their vehicle and won't return it for at least four days.
"If it's a law, why isn't there a sign for American people to say, 'We're limited on diesel'?" said Andy McCulley in a telephone interview from Mexico. "Had we known that, we would have never, never done this."
McCulley said she and her husband have been going across the border into Ciudad Acuna to purchase cheap gas for decades and never had a problem until Thursday afternoon. As they entered the customs area, McCulley said, Mexican authorities asked if they'd purchased any diesel. After responding yes, McCulley said their 2006 GMC pickup was impounded.
The price of Mexican diesel fuel is about half the cost of diesel in the United States. Mexican authorities said the new law is designed to prevent bootleggers from making a profit.
Bobby McCulley admitted to authorities they'd put 10 gallons in the truck's tank and an additional 50 gallons into an auxiliary tank -- that's where the law came up.
Mexican authorities told the McCulleys they would need a permit to purchase that amount of fuel, sign some papers and leave the truck in Mexico, McCulley said. They refused.
"They won't let us get near the vehicle, they've taken the keys away (and) they finally gave my husband back his driver's license, but they won't give us back the keys," McCulley said.
The McCulleys said they've encountered other Americans who've also had their vehicles seized, but the McCulleys said they were told they couldn't have their truck back for the time being.
"This is uncalled for," Andy McCulley said. "It really and truly is uncalled for, and I will stay here. I will get some deodorant, but I will stay here."
Val Verde County Sheriff D'Wayne Jernigan and Del Rio Mayor Efrain Valdez confirmed Mexican customs officials were stopping trucks with auxiliary tanks not installed by the manufacturer. The sezied vehicles are being held for about two weeks, according to county sources.
Ciudad Acuna officials said they concerned about the possible impact to local tourism if the law continues as stated, and have been working with U.S., Val Verde county and Del Rio officials to resolve the McCulleys' and others plights at the border.
The McCulleys were eventually allowed to return to the United States late Thursday with their vehicle, auxiliary tank and diesel.
Copyright 2008 by KSAT.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
CIUDAD ACUNA, Coahuila, Mexico -- People going across the border to save some bucks on gas may find out the hard way about a new Mexican law.
The new law restricts the amount of gas Americans can buy across the border, and one couple said Mexican authorities seized their vehicle and won't return it for at least four days.
"If it's a law, why isn't there a sign for American people to say, 'We're limited on diesel'?" said Andy McCulley in a telephone interview from Mexico. "Had we known that, we would have never, never done this."
McCulley said she and her husband have been going across the border into Ciudad Acuna to purchase cheap gas for decades and never had a problem until Thursday afternoon. As they entered the customs area, McCulley said, Mexican authorities asked if they'd purchased any diesel. After responding yes, McCulley said their 2006 GMC pickup was impounded.
The price of Mexican diesel fuel is about half the cost of diesel in the United States. Mexican authorities said the new law is designed to prevent bootleggers from making a profit.
Bobby McCulley admitted to authorities they'd put 10 gallons in the truck's tank and an additional 50 gallons into an auxiliary tank -- that's where the law came up.
Mexican authorities told the McCulleys they would need a permit to purchase that amount of fuel, sign some papers and leave the truck in Mexico, McCulley said. They refused.
"They won't let us get near the vehicle, they've taken the keys away (and) they finally gave my husband back his driver's license, but they won't give us back the keys," McCulley said.
The McCulleys said they've encountered other Americans who've also had their vehicles seized, but the McCulleys said they were told they couldn't have their truck back for the time being.
"This is uncalled for," Andy McCulley said. "It really and truly is uncalled for, and I will stay here. I will get some deodorant, but I will stay here."
Val Verde County Sheriff D'Wayne Jernigan and Del Rio Mayor Efrain Valdez confirmed Mexican customs officials were stopping trucks with auxiliary tanks not installed by the manufacturer. The sezied vehicles are being held for about two weeks, according to county sources.
Ciudad Acuna officials said they concerned about the possible impact to local tourism if the law continues as stated, and have been working with U.S., Val Verde county and Del Rio officials to resolve the McCulleys' and others plights at the border.
The McCulleys were eventually allowed to return to the United States late Thursday with their vehicle, auxiliary tank and diesel.
Copyright 2008 by KSAT.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
July 24, 2008
Long Wait Times At Bridges Caused By New Software
Monica Balderrama-KFOX News Reporter
POSTED: 10:09 pm MDT July 23, 2008
UPDATED: 1:23 am MDT July 24, 2008
EL PASO, Texas -- Travelers crossing over to the United States from Mexico waited in line at the bridge for about an hour on Tuesday afternoon.
"About an hour. It's really hot, though. It makes it worst," said Nallely Carreon, from Durango, Mexico.
Depending on the time of day the wait times can spike to over two hours.
"The main problem today is the heat. It's too hot to cross over. We don't have air conditioner in the car," said Francisco Fonseca, from El Paso.
The reason for the long traffic lines has to do with new software that was installed two weeks ago.
"We're really moving into the latest technology. It's unfortunate that you have to have some impact to get there and the impact has been on the wait times," said Rick Lopez, Chief Customs and Border Protection Officer.
The freshly installed program gives customs agents the capability to screen arriving travelers. By asking for documents or an identification, the agents will be able to see a picture of the person.
"It basically allows us to conduct examinations of arriving vehicles and travelers in the most expeditious way," said Lopez.
But it hasn't been that way--at least not yet. It's a learning curve for officers.
"The officers are familiarizing themselves with the current system, how it operates. They're helping each other get through it," said Lopez.
And the end result will be traffic getting through much quicker.
"It just takes longer and it frustrates people," said Carreon.
The update installed recently is only phase one of a series of updates. Next week, there will be another pre-installation that will prepare the ports of entry for radio frequency identification technology. That is supposed to speed travel across the border, while further enhancing security
POSTED: 10:09 pm MDT July 23, 2008
UPDATED: 1:23 am MDT July 24, 2008
EL PASO, Texas -- Travelers crossing over to the United States from Mexico waited in line at the bridge for about an hour on Tuesday afternoon.
"About an hour. It's really hot, though. It makes it worst," said Nallely Carreon, from Durango, Mexico.
Depending on the time of day the wait times can spike to over two hours.
"The main problem today is the heat. It's too hot to cross over. We don't have air conditioner in the car," said Francisco Fonseca, from El Paso.
The reason for the long traffic lines has to do with new software that was installed two weeks ago.
"We're really moving into the latest technology. It's unfortunate that you have to have some impact to get there and the impact has been on the wait times," said Rick Lopez, Chief Customs and Border Protection Officer.
The freshly installed program gives customs agents the capability to screen arriving travelers. By asking for documents or an identification, the agents will be able to see a picture of the person.
"It basically allows us to conduct examinations of arriving vehicles and travelers in the most expeditious way," said Lopez.
But it hasn't been that way--at least not yet. It's a learning curve for officers.
"The officers are familiarizing themselves with the current system, how it operates. They're helping each other get through it," said Lopez.
And the end result will be traffic getting through much quicker.
"It just takes longer and it frustrates people," said Carreon.
The update installed recently is only phase one of a series of updates. Next week, there will be another pre-installation that will prepare the ports of entry for radio frequency identification technology. That is supposed to speed travel across the border, while further enhancing security
July 22, 2008
Drug bust at border nets nearly 200 pounds of pot
Times staff
Article Launched: 07/22/2008 08:49:28 AM MDT
A Kansas City woman was arrested Saturday when she allegedly tried to enter the United States from Mexico with nearly 200 pounds of marijuana hidden in the front bumper, dashboard and gasoline tank of a car, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.
Agents arrested Catarina Flores, 18, and charged her with imporation of a controlled substance.
According to a press statement released Tuesday, Flores was driving a pearl white 1998 Continental sedan and appeared nervous as she approached the border checkpoint at the Ysleta Port of Entry at about 11 p.m. Saturday.
The vehicle, which was occuppied by other passengers, was referred to a secondary inspection lane where a CBP drug-sniffing dog named "Rio" alerted officers to the hidden drugs.
A total of 176 bundles of marijuana were pulled from the vehicle.
It was not revealed whether the other passengers were facing charges.
Article Launched: 07/22/2008 08:49:28 AM MDT
A Kansas City woman was arrested Saturday when she allegedly tried to enter the United States from Mexico with nearly 200 pounds of marijuana hidden in the front bumper, dashboard and gasoline tank of a car, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.
Agents arrested Catarina Flores, 18, and charged her with imporation of a controlled substance.
According to a press statement released Tuesday, Flores was driving a pearl white 1998 Continental sedan and appeared nervous as she approached the border checkpoint at the Ysleta Port of Entry at about 11 p.m. Saturday.
The vehicle, which was occuppied by other passengers, was referred to a secondary inspection lane where a CBP drug-sniffing dog named "Rio" alerted officers to the hidden drugs.
A total of 176 bundles of marijuana were pulled from the vehicle.
It was not revealed whether the other passengers were facing charges.
July 13, 2008
Border traffic down at El Paso sector
July 13, 2008, 2:48PM
© 2008 The Associated Press
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Illegal immigrant apprehensions in the U.S. Border Patrol's El Paso sector have fallen sharply this fiscal year, down 58 percent from the same point last fiscal year.
The sector, which includes all of New Mexico and two West Texas counties, has apprehended 25,466 illegal border crossers nine months into the current fiscal year.
The drop in apprehensions is due in part to more barriers, increased agents, and zero-tolerance policies, El Paso sector spokesman Doug Mosier told the Albuquerque Journal in a copyright story published Sunday.
If the rate of apprehensions continues at the current pace, the end-of-year total will be about 34,000 — the lowest since at least 2000 and far below the totals of the early 1990s.
In 1992, the sector's agents apprehended nearly 286,000 illegal border crossers.
"The master plan has always been to gain incremental manageability of the southern border, piece by piece, and I think we are starting to see that," Mosier said.
At the Deming station, agent-in-charge Rick Moody said apprehensions have fallen so drastically that on a recent day, his agents did not pick up a single border crosser.
"We've never had the reductions in apprehensions that we are seeing today," Moody said.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is pushing to build hundreds of miles of vehicle barriers and fences by the end of 2008 along the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the El Paso sector, plans call for the construction of 93 miles of pedestrian fence, including 33 miles in southern New Mexico and 60 miles in West Texas, said Border Patrol supervisory Agent Abel Melendez.
Miles of heavy-duty fence bracketing the Santa Teresa and Columbus ports of entry have been built since the start of the year.
© 2008 The Associated Press
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Illegal immigrant apprehensions in the U.S. Border Patrol's El Paso sector have fallen sharply this fiscal year, down 58 percent from the same point last fiscal year.
The sector, which includes all of New Mexico and two West Texas counties, has apprehended 25,466 illegal border crossers nine months into the current fiscal year.
The drop in apprehensions is due in part to more barriers, increased agents, and zero-tolerance policies, El Paso sector spokesman Doug Mosier told the Albuquerque Journal in a copyright story published Sunday.
If the rate of apprehensions continues at the current pace, the end-of-year total will be about 34,000 — the lowest since at least 2000 and far below the totals of the early 1990s.
In 1992, the sector's agents apprehended nearly 286,000 illegal border crossers.
"The master plan has always been to gain incremental manageability of the southern border, piece by piece, and I think we are starting to see that," Mosier said.
At the Deming station, agent-in-charge Rick Moody said apprehensions have fallen so drastically that on a recent day, his agents did not pick up a single border crosser.
"We've never had the reductions in apprehensions that we are seeing today," Moody said.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is pushing to build hundreds of miles of vehicle barriers and fences by the end of 2008 along the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the El Paso sector, plans call for the construction of 93 miles of pedestrian fence, including 33 miles in southern New Mexico and 60 miles in West Texas, said Border Patrol supervisory Agent Abel Melendez.
Miles of heavy-duty fence bracketing the Santa Teresa and Columbus ports of entry have been built since the start of the year.
July 9, 2008
Groups seek clarification on evacuation policies
July 9, 2008 - 11:09AM
Jeremy Roebuck
SAN JUAN -- Four community groups sought clarification in federal court Wednesday on whether authorities will conduct immigration checks in the event of a hurricane evacuation.
The activists filed a petition Wednesday asking a judge to order the U.S. Border Patrol to clearly outline its policy on what documents, if any, will be needed to pass through checkpoints should a storm hit the Rio Grande Valley.
"To prevent a Hurricane Katrina-type catastrophe, residents must know what is going to happen when an evacuation is called," said Juanita Valdez-Cox, Texas director of La Union del Pueblo Entero, one of the groups that filed the petition in U.S. District Court in McAllen.
"We must have answers to make sure residents of the Valley find safety."
The issue came under renewed scrutiny during a mock evacuation drill earlier this year in which agents were observed asking the fake evacuees for proof of citizenship or legal residency.
City leaders and migrant rights activists protested, fearing such tactics would deter people from fleeing in advance of a storm and would slow down the overall evacuation process.
"Border Patrol has set in motion the conditions for a perfect storm," said Eric Rodriguez, an attorney for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which represents the petitioners. "By pursuing this reckless law enforcement policy, they've created a danger for everyone."
Since then, however, Gov. Rick Perry's office reported it had received assurances that no checks would occur during an evacuation, but federal officials would not confirm that policy.
Michael Chertoff, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has only dialed down his department's original rhetoric.
"We're not going to be bogging people down with checks or doing things to delay the rapid movement of people out of the zone of danger," he said during a May news conference.
But lawyers for the community groups pointed out Wednesday that confusion lingers and could affect individual decisions on whether to stay or leave.
"It's already hurricane season," said the South Texas Civil Rights Project's Corinna Spencer-Scheurich. "This could become an issue next week - any day now."
Valdez-Cox's organization, LUPE, joined with three Cameron County community groups - Proyecto Juan Diego, Proyecto Digna and San Felipe Community Church - in filing the petition Wednesday.
Government officials have at least 20 days to respond under federal court guidelines.
Spencer-Scheurich said she hopes a judge will make a ruling within the next month.
____
Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.
Jeremy Roebuck
SAN JUAN -- Four community groups sought clarification in federal court Wednesday on whether authorities will conduct immigration checks in the event of a hurricane evacuation.
The activists filed a petition Wednesday asking a judge to order the U.S. Border Patrol to clearly outline its policy on what documents, if any, will be needed to pass through checkpoints should a storm hit the Rio Grande Valley.
"To prevent a Hurricane Katrina-type catastrophe, residents must know what is going to happen when an evacuation is called," said Juanita Valdez-Cox, Texas director of La Union del Pueblo Entero, one of the groups that filed the petition in U.S. District Court in McAllen.
"We must have answers to make sure residents of the Valley find safety."
The issue came under renewed scrutiny during a mock evacuation drill earlier this year in which agents were observed asking the fake evacuees for proof of citizenship or legal residency.
City leaders and migrant rights activists protested, fearing such tactics would deter people from fleeing in advance of a storm and would slow down the overall evacuation process.
"Border Patrol has set in motion the conditions for a perfect storm," said Eric Rodriguez, an attorney for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which represents the petitioners. "By pursuing this reckless law enforcement policy, they've created a danger for everyone."
Since then, however, Gov. Rick Perry's office reported it had received assurances that no checks would occur during an evacuation, but federal officials would not confirm that policy.
Michael Chertoff, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has only dialed down his department's original rhetoric.
"We're not going to be bogging people down with checks or doing things to delay the rapid movement of people out of the zone of danger," he said during a May news conference.
But lawyers for the community groups pointed out Wednesday that confusion lingers and could affect individual decisions on whether to stay or leave.
"It's already hurricane season," said the South Texas Civil Rights Project's Corinna Spencer-Scheurich. "This could become an issue next week - any day now."
Valdez-Cox's organization, LUPE, joined with three Cameron County community groups - Proyecto Juan Diego, Proyecto Digna and San Felipe Community Church - in filing the petition Wednesday.
Government officials have at least 20 days to respond under federal court guidelines.
Spencer-Scheurich said she hopes a judge will make a ruling within the next month.
____
Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.
July 8, 2008
2008 migrant death count
2008 migrant death count
by Frontra NorteSur
The McAllen area of the Lone Star State proved to be the deadliest point for would-be border crossers, with 26 undocumented Mexicans losing their lives in the zone. Additionally, 14 migrants died in the El Paso area and 4 around Eagle Pass.
Posted on July 8, 2008
In a grim disclosure, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) recently released its count of the number of Mexican migrants who died struggling to reach El Norte in 2008 so far. Until June 9, the SRE documented the deaths of 117 migrants who perished while attempting to cross the Mexico-U.S. border.
According to the SRE, most of the deaths, or 72 to be precise, were registered in the state of Texas. The McAllen area of the Lone Star State proved to be the deadliest point for would-be border crossers, with 26 undocumented Mexicans losing their lives in the zone. Additionally, 14 migrants died in the El Paso area and 4 around Eagle Pass.
Nonetheless, the dangerous terrain surrounding Tucson, Ariz., was the deadliest single zone for migrants, claiming 40 lives during the first half of the year. The Arizona numbers suggest migrant deaths could be on a downswing in comparison to the last two years. Still, it’s important to note the reported deaths were registered before some of the hottest days of the year pound the border region.
The U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector reported 204 migrant deaths during the 2007 fiscal year that ended on September 30 of last year. The death toll represented a 21 percent increase from fiscal year 2006, when 165 deaths were registered. However, the Tucson-based Human Rights Coalition reported a higher death toll for the region than did the Border Patrol.
The immigrant rights group cited 237 deaths for FY 2007, a number 32 higher than in FY 2006, when the coalition documented 205 deaths.
In 2007, 409 Mexican migrants died in the entire Mexico-U.S. border region, according to the SRE. Official Mexican migrant death statistics for this year report most victims were individuals in the 18 to 45-year-old age category, with the death of one minor recorded.
Since 2001, the SRE has tallied the deaths of 2,956 Mexican migrants in the northern borderlands. The federal agency has identified the main causes of death as dehydration (1062), drowning (583) and vehicle accidents (247). In terms of geographic origin, ill-fated migrants from the states of Mexico, Guanajuato and Mexico City topped the list of victims.
***
Sources:
-- La Jornada, July 6, 2008
-- Frontera/SUN, December 31, 2007
Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news Center for Latin American and Border Studies New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico
by Frontra NorteSur
The McAllen area of the Lone Star State proved to be the deadliest point for would-be border crossers, with 26 undocumented Mexicans losing their lives in the zone. Additionally, 14 migrants died in the El Paso area and 4 around Eagle Pass.
Posted on July 8, 2008
In a grim disclosure, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) recently released its count of the number of Mexican migrants who died struggling to reach El Norte in 2008 so far. Until June 9, the SRE documented the deaths of 117 migrants who perished while attempting to cross the Mexico-U.S. border.
According to the SRE, most of the deaths, or 72 to be precise, were registered in the state of Texas. The McAllen area of the Lone Star State proved to be the deadliest point for would-be border crossers, with 26 undocumented Mexicans losing their lives in the zone. Additionally, 14 migrants died in the El Paso area and 4 around Eagle Pass.
Nonetheless, the dangerous terrain surrounding Tucson, Ariz., was the deadliest single zone for migrants, claiming 40 lives during the first half of the year. The Arizona numbers suggest migrant deaths could be on a downswing in comparison to the last two years. Still, it’s important to note the reported deaths were registered before some of the hottest days of the year pound the border region.
The U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector reported 204 migrant deaths during the 2007 fiscal year that ended on September 30 of last year. The death toll represented a 21 percent increase from fiscal year 2006, when 165 deaths were registered. However, the Tucson-based Human Rights Coalition reported a higher death toll for the region than did the Border Patrol.
The immigrant rights group cited 237 deaths for FY 2007, a number 32 higher than in FY 2006, when the coalition documented 205 deaths.
In 2007, 409 Mexican migrants died in the entire Mexico-U.S. border region, according to the SRE. Official Mexican migrant death statistics for this year report most victims were individuals in the 18 to 45-year-old age category, with the death of one minor recorded.
Since 2001, the SRE has tallied the deaths of 2,956 Mexican migrants in the northern borderlands. The federal agency has identified the main causes of death as dehydration (1062), drowning (583) and vehicle accidents (247). In terms of geographic origin, ill-fated migrants from the states of Mexico, Guanajuato and Mexico City topped the list of victims.
***
Sources:
-- La Jornada, July 6, 2008
-- Frontera/SUN, December 31, 2007
Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news Center for Latin American and Border Studies New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico
June 20, 2008
Waits may be keeping legal crossers out
Waits may be keeping legal crossers out
BLAKE MORLOCK and FERNANDA ECHÁVARRI
Tucson Citizen 6/21/08
Waits will get longer and Mexican visitors will arrive in fewer numbers until the U.S. improves its seven ports of entry along the Arizona-Mexico border.
That's what a University of Arizona study released Friday by the Arizona-Mexico Commission concluded as it showed a drop in the number of people crossing into the U.S. Wait times average 45 minutes and regularly extend to two hours.
The commission tackles cross-border issues and operates out of Gov. Janet Napolitano's office and includes Mexican officials and citizens.
The report attributes the delays primarily to increased security at U.S. entry ports since 9/11 and to old, inadequate port facilities. Fixing the state's seven ports of entry would cost about $500 million and would move people through more quickly, the study said.
Vehicular traffic dropped 20 percent from 2002 to 2007, with 4 million fewer people driving across the border, the commission found.
However, 2 million more people walked across.
"It is concerning that we are crossing 2 million less people and our border wait times are longer than they have ever been," said Luis Ramirez, a Nogales border expert advising the commission. "People don't just come in to Nogales. They may go to the Grand Canyon, or go to a ballgame in Phoenix or shop in Tucson."
The traffic slowdown from Mexico to Arizona happened as the peso's value gained 10 percent against the dollar, Ramirez said.
In Texas, where border crossings are larger than those in Arizona, wealthy Mexicans are investing in the Rio Grande Valley but similar investments are not happening in southern Arizona, he said.
Carmen De Andrade, 72, lives in Nogales, Son., and goes grocery shopping in Nogales, Ariz.
"I watch for the lines to look somewhat reasonable, which is usually an hour, and then drive across," she said. "I used to go across all the time but now I only go shopping three or four times a month."
De Andrade said the waiting time can be more than three hours.
"The lines are horrible most of the time, and not only for the cars. A few months ago it took me an hour to walk through just to have coffee with my friend," she said.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/88943.php
BLAKE MORLOCK and FERNANDA ECHÁVARRI
Tucson Citizen 6/21/08
Waits will get longer and Mexican visitors will arrive in fewer numbers until the U.S. improves its seven ports of entry along the Arizona-Mexico border.
That's what a University of Arizona study released Friday by the Arizona-Mexico Commission concluded as it showed a drop in the number of people crossing into the U.S. Wait times average 45 minutes and regularly extend to two hours.
The commission tackles cross-border issues and operates out of Gov. Janet Napolitano's office and includes Mexican officials and citizens.
The report attributes the delays primarily to increased security at U.S. entry ports since 9/11 and to old, inadequate port facilities. Fixing the state's seven ports of entry would cost about $500 million and would move people through more quickly, the study said.
Vehicular traffic dropped 20 percent from 2002 to 2007, with 4 million fewer people driving across the border, the commission found.
However, 2 million more people walked across.
"It is concerning that we are crossing 2 million less people and our border wait times are longer than they have ever been," said Luis Ramirez, a Nogales border expert advising the commission. "People don't just come in to Nogales. They may go to the Grand Canyon, or go to a ballgame in Phoenix or shop in Tucson."
The traffic slowdown from Mexico to Arizona happened as the peso's value gained 10 percent against the dollar, Ramirez said.
In Texas, where border crossings are larger than those in Arizona, wealthy Mexicans are investing in the Rio Grande Valley but similar investments are not happening in southern Arizona, he said.
Carmen De Andrade, 72, lives in Nogales, Son., and goes grocery shopping in Nogales, Ariz.
"I watch for the lines to look somewhat reasonable, which is usually an hour, and then drive across," she said. "I used to go across all the time but now I only go shopping three or four times a month."
De Andrade said the waiting time can be more than three hours.
"The lines are horrible most of the time, and not only for the cars. A few months ago it took me an hour to walk through just to have coffee with my friend," she said.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/88943.php
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
