COAHUILA, TEXAS – A recent trip to Big Bend National Park gave a first-hand account of entering Mexico at the little village of Boquillas and the return to the United States through the new automated port of entry in the park at Boquillas Crossing.

A tent was found, sleeping ...]]> By JOHN DANIEL GARCIA and ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN

COAHUILA, TEXAS – A recent trip to Big Bend National Park gave a first-hand account of entering Mexico at the little village of Boquillas and the return to the United States through the new automated port of entry in the park at Boquillas Crossing.

A tent was found, sleeping bags were rolled, bags were packed, beer was iced. It was off to the border with Mexico through Big Bend National Park.

A National Park Ranger stood in front of a desk in the new port. The cool air inside the building was a welcomed break from the outside heat where one will spend the next few hours wandering through the desert. Temperatures reached the high 90s.

Canoero Adrian Valdez Cabello rows travelers from Big Bend National Park to Boquillas, Coahuila, Mexico, the first time in more than a decade since the informal crossing was closed. (staff photo by JOHN DANIEL GARCIA)

After listening to the ranger’s information – you must report to the Mexican immigration building, you can’t bring alcohol, tobacco or drugs into the U.S., you must be back to the station by 6pm unless you don’t mind spending a night in Mexico, etc – you are greeted by a metal sign with a cut-in design depicting a desert scene complete with flora and fauna declaring, “Bienvenidos Boquillas del Carmen.”

The Boquillas border crossing in the national park has been open for two weeks now, after having been closed for more than a decade following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The crossing again makes the small community of Boquillas, Coahuila, Mexico accessible to tourists entering from the United States, as well as providing an entry point for Mexican citizens to enter the U.S. legally.

According to Customs and Border Protection spokesman Bill Brooks, 511 people crossed through the port of entry in the first 10 days.

The crossing is the only official U.S./Mexico entry/exit point between Presidio and Del Rio, which are 300 miles apart. The distance is much farther between Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico and Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico – Presidio and Del Rio’s respective border cities – as there is no direct route.

A perch overlooks the river crossing. A shade structure on the Mexican side of the river held many men, children, horses, and burros beneath a Mexican flag waving in the wind. “Cielito Lindo” and “Alla en el Rancho Grande” filled the air as Victor Valdez, a villager, serenaded the passengers of the metal rowboat that ferries tourists unwilling to wade across the shallow stretch of river for a $5-per-person round-trip ticket. The last boat back to the U.S. bank leaves at 5:30pm.

“Bienvenidos a Boquillas,” Valdez greets visitors as the boat docks on the rocky river shore, and children peddling their wares surround you as your feet hit ground. “The children have bracelets for sale and you can tip me for the songs in the jar. Enjoy your time in Boquillas!”

The crossing’s closing 12 years ago left the population of Boquillas cut off from their main source of income: jobs in Texas and tourist dollars, as well as their access to basic amenities such as washing machines and grocery shopping – since most Boquillas residents would use the Laundromat and convenience store at Rio Grande Village in the park since the informal crossing’s closure left the villagers isolated. The nearest accessible city in Mexico is Melchor Muzquiz, which they must embark on a 6-8 hour one-way, 150-mile drive over inhospitable terrain to fulfill their basic needs.

Boquillas children sell handmade bracelets. (staff photo by JOHN DANIEL GARCIA)

Even though traffic at the informal Boquillas crossing was common before the federal government shut it down, it had technically been illegal since 1986.

The people of Boquillas warmly welcome U.S. tourists and solicit their services, which include rides by pick-up truck, horse, or burro over the one-mile road into the town.

While walking along the dirt road from the bank of the river to the town of Boquillas, a young man on horseback rides by with another horse in tow. He waves the peace sign, welcoming visitors to his homeland.

Near the edge of the pueblo, frequent Big Bend Sentinel/Presidio International contributor and international man of travel – but not mystery – Jim Glendinning was en route back to the United States. He said he had a marvelous time and recommended a few places to visit. When Glendinning offers travel advice, you take it.

In order to legally roam around the town, visitors have to check into a Mexican immigration station, located in the heart of the tourist area of the village. The building is inside of a fence with a razor wire top – typical of any government building on both sides of the border. Travelers must visit the trailer to the west of the building to receive their visas.

The Mexican officials are warm-hearted and some of the friendliest immigration officers to come across. Fear and intimidation does not lead to the spending of tourist dollars, after all.

Old adobe structures and homes are interspersed with newer, colorful buildings that house a few restaurants and a tourism office.

Esteban Oñate, another village native, stands near the immigration office to greet visitors and show them around.

Esteban Oñate. (staff photo by JOHN DANIEL GARCIA)

Oñate was one of the many who joined the exodus out of Boquillas once the tourist trade died. He said he spent the first few years working the mines of Melchor Muzquiz before returning when Fronteras Unlimited, a non-profit formed in the mid 2000s to bring income to the impoverished town, began a monthly trip to import the copper-wire and bead scorpion sculptures, bracelets, walking sticks, and quilts made by locals. He would also cross the river to set up illegal pop-up shops in the park along riverbank.

“There was no money,” he said, “and many people left town. We had to find ways to make a living. Now that the crossing has opened, many are coming back. This is my life. This is my town.”

In the times before the closing of the crossing, the town’s population hovered around 300 people. A 2010 Mexican census found that, in those eight years, the population shrank to 110 inhabitants.

Despite the small population and lack of tourists, however, there has been one constant in Boquillas: the Park Bar, where one can enjoy $2 Carta Blancas and 50-cent pool games while canciones rancheras are sporadically performed by an elderly man for tips. It was also at the Park Bar where Saulo Orozco, a teacher at Boquillas’ school, sat as he sought shade from the brutal sun.

Orozco explained that enrollment in the school has increased since the announcement of the crossing’s re-opening. There are currently 37 students in the school, which serves youth education, primary, and secondary students.

“It’s going to be good to have money come into town and the school,” Orozco said, adding that everyone in the village is excited about the prospect of more tourism.

It was also at the bar where two national park workers, Desi and Greg, played pool.

“It’s great,” said Greg. “There’s one more thing to do [for park workers]. You can only hike alone so much.”

With bellies rumbling for tacos, Oñate recommended José Falcon’s, a restaurant originally founded in 1973 but was forced to shut down after the crossing’s closure. Falcon’s daughter, Lilia, returned from southern Mexico to reopen the restaurant/shop, which only serves tacos and burritos with beans and cabbage and a side of homemade salsa.

The Park Bar is the place to be for beer, pool and music. (staff photo by ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN)

The familiar faces Marfa resident Paige Phelps and Texas Music Magazine Publisher/Editor and Alpine Tourism Director Stewart Ramser were seen across the street. They were indulging in beers and enchiladas, which you can opt for if tacos don’t quite settle your appetite.

On the way back to the river, tables with displays of the villagers’ work dot the dusty road. The artisans pop out of the old adobe houses to point out their work and give prices while more men on horseback and in trucks once again offer their services.

Valdez, still at the river, thanks the visitors and asks if they would be interested in one last song before the boat heads to the other side.

The new port brings new technology in border crossing. A kiosk set up in the station scans visitors’ passports and sends the information to a customs officer in El Paso. A direct-line phone is connected to the kiosk, and a prompt to speak to the officer is displayed on the screen.

The scanner is not perfect, however, and the visitor will occasionally have to scan their passport more than once while standing in front of the camera installed in the kiosk. The phone line has a considerable delay, making the conversation with the official difficult.

This is an automated border crossing, not an unmanned crossing, CBP’s Brooks reminds. A National Park Service Ranger, standing there in the flesh, assists visitors with operating the kiosk.

Even though this type of port is the first of its kind along the Mexican border, the United States and Canada have used such devices for years on the northern border.

Crossing back into the United States, the reality of the post 9/11 U.S. border mentality quickly sets in. On a dirt road near the park’s Gravel Pit campground, a roadblock has been set up. Two Border Patrol agents and two law enforcement park rangers approach. AR-15s on single-point slings hang around their neck and shoulders. Double magazines clamped together illustrate their firepower. The law enforcement officers resemble military or paramilitary soldiers; their tacticool rifles outfitted with reflex sights and Trijicon ACOG scopes.

Empty soda bottles from Jose Falcon's Restaurant. (staff photo by ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN)

They ask the occupants of the stopped vehicle to place their hands in front of them on the dashboard or seat back. A search of the vehicle yields nothing. One ranger says they were acting in response to “activities in the past.”

They allowed the vehicle to continue on to the hot springs, where the weary and sunburned travelers had hoped to relax after a long day walking under the bright sun. A shot of Bulleit Rye Whiskey helped calm nerves, but not before one of the passengers, still reeling from the encounter with the federal river ninjas, had to stop an anxiety-induced nosebleed.

Brooks said that the number of Border Patrol officers in the national park has increased over the past few years.

“We’ve received more assets in the Big Bend sector in the form of additional agents,” Brooks said. “Where we needed more was in the park.”

As to the interaction with heavily armed law enforcement officers, Brooks said that park visitors shouldn’t expect that to become routine. “I don’t think that’s normal. Something triggered that. They have a job to do. Certainly I don’t think we’re in the position to intimidate or run off park visitors.”

Brooks later confirmed that two days later, Border Patrol agents apprehended 22 people who had illegally entered the U.S. near the Gravel Pit campground.

The trip to Boquillas, the interaction with agents and park rangers, and the subsequent apprehension of the 22 individuals underscores the bizarre culture that exists along the Texas-Mexico border in Big Bend country that many have come to embrace and love. The opening of the crossing, while welcome and long overdue, leaves many questions to ponder over border security and immigration issues that are now a part of a national dialogue. One thing is certain though, la frontera, particularly in a place like Boquillas, does offer an opportunity for two not so dissimilar cultures to again interact with one another.

PRESIDIO, OJINAGA – For many border residents, crossing back and forth between the United States and Mexico has become a daily routine. With the inevitability of globalization shaping lives and businesses, it’s all too easy to forget about international borders. That is, of course, until you’ve spent two hours or more in ...]]> By ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN

PRESIDIO, OJINAGA – For many border residents, crossing back and forth between the United States and Mexico has become a daily routine. With the inevitability of globalization shaping lives and businesses, it’s all too easy to forget about international borders. That is, of course, until you’ve spent two hours or more in 100-plus degree temperatures in mid-July waiting to cross from one country to the other.

That, area border residents and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials hope, will be a thing of the past.

“The wait times have reduced,” Presidio CBP Port Director David Lambrix said this week of his port. Lambrix, who has held his port director post in Presidio briefly, said that reducing northbound wait times was a priority when taking the position. Lambrix evaluated how and what CBP was doing to decrease wait times for U.S. bound traffic.

“I rearranged how they managed the workload and traffic flow,” he said of CBP officers.

Lambrix said the key to reducing the wait time is to study historical data and timing the opening of lanes to expedite traffic flows. He has put efforts in place to train his management team on when and how to open more lanes and at what times. The result he says: “It’s reduced (wait times) dramatically.”

Lambrix hopes to have more officers at his port in the future, as well as other mechanisms that he couldn’t go into detail for security reasons.

Using historical data helps CBP officers estimate time frames for opening multiple lanes and calculate how long to keep them open.

“If you look at the workload and staff accordingly, you can minimize waits,” he said.

City of Presidio economic development and tourism guru Brad Newton welcomed the news of decreased border waits to enter his city. “We’re very pleased with it, especially to get commerce between the towns,” Newton said from City Hall.

He said hours-long waits to enter Presidio severely hurts local businesses, with people ultimately avoiding to cross when they see a line snake between the two countries. “It’s human nature to avoid a long wait,” he said, but with shorter wait times, “the avoidance to come to Presidio to shop is removed.”

U.S. bound vehicles wait in line at the Presidio port of entry in this June 2010 file photo. (photo by ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN)

Newton praised Lambrix for his efforts to reduce that wait. “The big thing is that Mr. Lambrix is very big on commerce and trade.”

For H. Cowan, a spokesperson and consultant for Solitaire Homes in Presidio and Ojinaga, a leader in manufactured and mobile home construction, the old adage that “time is money,” still rings true and cannot be overstated.

Solitaire Homes, which has an assembly plant in Ojinaga as well as operations in Presidio, and like many Presidio and Ojinaga businesses, is at the mercy of the border.

Cowan also hailed Lambrix as someone who gives serious consideration to cross-border trade and its impact on the Presidio/Ojinaga border zone. Having a port director with that mentality, Cowan says, “ultimately helps economies on both sides of the river.”

While Cowan agrees that he has seen wait times for U.S. bound passenger vehicles decrease, his concern lies with cargo traffic in both directions.

Northbound cargo traffic waits have decreased to a certain extent Cowan says, but, “I have a little bit of difficulty with our southbound material.” Solitaire transports oversized cargo loads on trucks each day in both directions, which have to be inspected by U.S. Customs as well as the Mexican Aduana.

Cowan says he’s working with U.S. and Mexican officials to expedite cargo traffic. “I do have a little concern that some days take longer.”

According to Lambrix, there are three passenger lanes, one commercial lane and one oversized commercial lane at the Presidio port.

Cowan says that upon smoothing out the cargo wait times and infrastructure issues on both sides of the border, Solitaire hopes to construct another assembly plant in Ojinaga.

“For us, we want to build a second factory and employee 200 more workers and double our economic impact,” Cowan said. “We would be building the plant right now had those modifications been in place.”

The increase in output for Solitaire would create more jobs in Presidio, too, Cowan added.

Omar Cabello, manager of the AutoZone in Presidio, said wait times at the port of entry have a direct impact on his business, much of which comes from Mexico.

“Basically, when the wait time is more than an hour or two, they don’t want to come and pick up (car) parts.”

Cabello says that large portions of their clients are from Ojinaga, Camargo, Parral, Ciudad Chihuahua, and smaller ranches in nearby Mexico.

As to a noticeable difference in wait times, Cabello says, “For the past three weeks we’ve had an increase in customers. I have noticed some change and I’m sure it’s got to do with the wait times.”

Back at the port, Lambrix had some advice for American and Mexican citizens crossing into the U.S.: have your documents ready to present to Customs officers.

He added that Mexican citizens who know months or weeks in advance that they will be travelling into the U.S., to come in early to fill out their I-94 Form.

“It helps reduce time. If they have all documents ready, it makes it go by so much smoother. That makes a big, big difference.”

Lambrix has said that he has an open-door policy and is open to any ideas or suggestions from the public to make cross-border traffic more efficient.

As for Cowan and Solitaire, they are moving as quickly as possible with discussions as to how to speed up cargo traffic, which he says has a direct impact on Presidio.

“There’s probably $20,000 a week they are putting in their pockets,” Cowan said of Solitaire employees in Ojinaga. “Most find themselves in Presidio going to shop.”

He’s ready to get moving on the new facility and double Solitaire’s economic impact. “We’ll grow on both sides.”

You can see estimated wait times for U.S. bound traffic at all U.S./Mexico and U.S./Canada land ports by visiting CBP’s website.

At 8am on Tuesday, the wait to enter Presidio was five minutes, at 2pm it was 10 minutes, and at 3pm it was back down to five minutes according to the website.

PRESIDIO, OJINAGA – Cattle crossing has been a high economic contributor to the Presidio, Texas and Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico communities for nearly 80 years. The ports of entry are the oldest cattle import location in the United States and are currently the only direct entrance from the ...]]> By JEFF MATHEIS, JOHN DANIEL GARCIA, ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN

PRESIDIO, OJINAGA – Cattle crossing has been a high economic contributor to the Presidio, Texas and Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico communities for nearly 80 years. The ports of entry are the oldest cattle import location in the United States and are currently the only direct entrance from the beef-rich state of Chihuahua.

But a recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy change has cattlemen on both sides of the border rattled.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) stopped sending inspectors to the Ojinaga veterinary cattle inspection facility on August 15. A temporary USDA facility in Presidio was opened October 2.

Salvador Baeza makes his way to the Union Ganadera in Ojinaga to meet with fellow cattlemen early one morning. (photos by ALBERTO HALPERN)

Previously, inspectors crossed the border from Presidio to Ojinaga to perform inspections. The move of the Ojinaga inspection facility into stateside Presidio followed the 2010 inspection port stateside moves at ports of entry in Eagle Pass, Laredo, and Pharr. USDA officials have cited security concerns as the reason for making the policy move.

“We work very closely with the U.S. Department of State to make decisions about closing facilities, and we do not make these decisions lightly. They are made with the safety and security of our employees in mind,” said APHIS media coordinator Lyndsay Cole.

“The facility in Ojinaga was closed August 15 due to repeated security concerns, local violence and information we received from the State Department. Because we recognize the critical importance of cattle trade to communities along the border, we took immediate steps to redirect cattle to other facilities in the area, and we also began construction of a temporary facility in Presidio,” she continued.

Some residents and business people on both sides of the border believe that the safety concerns are not valid for Ojinaga. To many, frustration with the security assessment is amplified by the negative economic impact.

Jess Burner Jr., operator of Presidio Stock Yards, said he does not believe that the individual veterinary inspectors fear for their safety, or should.

“We have not seen the violence,” Burner said of the level of drug cartel-related violence in Ojinaga as compared to other Mexican cities.

If offered, “they would go back this afternoon,” he said, referring to USDA inspectors who work in the area. Burner says he understands that some level of violence does exist and that safety should be taken into consideration for USDA inspectors.

“We don’t want to see anybody hurt or put in danger,” he said, though he does believe Ojinaga is much safer than other Mexican border cities. “We are blessed because of our remoteness.”

Baeza stands in the empty cattle inspection area at the OJinaga stockyard. USDA inspectors no longer use the large facility to inspect U.S. bound cattle from Mexico, a fact that Baeza laments.

The job is much harder for the veterinary inspectors at the Presidio location than at the Ojinaga inspection site, according to Burner. “They don’t have the manpower.” Burner said that the Ojinaga facility had about 40 employees backed up by a support team.

“At the Presidio facility, they have to do everything themselves,” he added.

Local USDA veterinarians, both active and retired, contacted for this story would not speak about the location change.

Presidio resident Salvador Baeza of Baeza Cattle Co., said that at the Ojinaga station, only one stop was necessary for cattle transportation. Now, importing cattle involves loading and unloading the cattle several times. The Presidio inspection facility is not heated or air-conditioned as the Ojinaga facility is. These delays and added stressors result in cattle shrinkage.

Father and son cattlemen Arturo Hernandez Attolini senior and junior have been exporting cattle through the Presidio and Ojinaga ports from their El Oasis Ranch for 30 years. Their ranch is about an hour and a half south of Ojinaga.

On Tuesday, November 27, the 70 head of cattle they were carrying had been kept in Ojinaga since the previous day. When reached after crossing, Attolini Jr. said that the Presidio facility is slower, smaller and in worse condition than the Ojinaga facility. The resulting delay brought a five percent decrease in cattle weight, costing the cattlemen $2,400. Attolini said that if conditions don’t improve, the father and son will have to consider taking their cattle to the much-longer route to the Santa Teresa, New Mexico port of entry in the future.

Attolini said that he comes to the Presidio/Ojinaga port about once every two weeks and has never felt any threat of violence.

Dr. Jesus Baca, who oversees the stockyard in Ojinaga as administrator of the Union Ganadera Regional de Chihuahua (UGRCH), said he has had to let go of 20 of his 50 employees. “That’s 20 families that don’t get to eat,” he said. He expects to lose five more. Baca said that he would expect to take back all of the employees if USDA inspectors returned to the Ojinaga facility.

When asked if the workers who were released from their employment had found more work, Dr. Baca responded with a shrug of his shoulders. Baeza, who also had to let go of two workers in his stockyard, interjected, “We have no real way of knowing if they have found more work,” he said, acknowledging that young men without work might turn to the drug trade. “Sometimes even a good, hardworking man with children to feed will get desperate. And they wonder why they sell drugs. That’s how it is around here.”

The massive area at the Union Ganadera in Ojinaga where inspected cattle used to be held now sits starkly empty.

Presidio businessman Mario Nieto of M. Nieto Dept. Store in Presidio, expressed concern about the economic impact that occurs when cattle imports are stalled at the border. “I sell a lot of ranch supplies and a lot of veterinarian supplies. This time of year, that’s our bread and butter,” he said.

According to APHIS spokesperson Cole, in the three weeks since The International, The Big Bend Sentinel and BigBendNow began investigating this matter, the Presidio inspection facility has undergone several logistical improvements. Previously, cattle were not entered into the facility if they would be there overnight because they could not be fed. The facility now has the capacity to feed overnight. The facility has installed an improved, permanent cattle-dipping tick-eradication vat, replacing a lesser temporary vat. APHIS has hired three new employees to help push the cattle through. The workday is now starting earlier, as well, according to Cole, to address the time zone issue between Presidio and Ojinaga.

Records show a marked drop in head of cattle passing through the Presidio facility.

Ana Laura Miramontes Rohana of The Union Ganadera Regional de Chihuahua (UGRCH), sent statistics showing that a total of 25,445 head of cattle crossed in the months of September, October and November of this year, compared to a total of 51,246 for the same months in 2011 and 61,821 for the same months in 2010.

Cole states that the logistical improvements have had an immediate impact. The Presidio port passed 3,114 head of cattle between December 3 and 7.

She notes that only 1,000 to 2,000 had been passing in recent weeks.

When contacted Friday about the facility improvements, Burner said, “I’m definitely pleased with those changes. I think we are headed in the right direction.” He did express a desire for further improvements and maintained his confusion at the relocation. “It’s definitely better than it was. If they keep hiring help, it won’t be as good as it was before, but it will be something that we can live with.” He said that there are still problems. “Yesterday they cancelled 300 lot of cattle. They are making those cattle hold over until Monday. We had all those cattle on the list for export. We had three trucks that came from Amarillo. I think [the trucks] left here to go back to Amarillo. It’s part of doing business, but it sure is aggravating and expensive.”

Part of the dismay with the security assessment stems from the fact that USDA inspectors are allowed to enter Mexico from the Santa Teresa, New Mexico port for cattle inspections.

The cattle that haven’t been crossing at Presidio need to cross somewhere, and Burner, Baeza, and Baca say that business is being lost to Santa Teresa. They add that they don’t believe the Santa Teresa port, which is so close to Ciudad Juarez and where 50,000 cartel-related deaths have occurred the past few years, is any safer than the Presidio/Ojinaga border zone.

Salvador Baeza, left, and Dr. Jesus Baca, right, walk in front of the inspection zone at the OJinaga stockyard. It now sits empty.

According to Cole, inspectors have a shorter distance in Mexico to travel from the U.S. side of the Santa Teresa crossing, 1.5 miles to the inspection facility as opposed to the 3.5 miles to the inspection facility in Ojinaga from Presidio.

But Baeza and Burner said that there is something more sinister at play. They allege that Edward Avalos, the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the USDA, and a New Mexico native and former New Mexico Department of Agriculture employee, has diverted cattle traffic away from Texas ports toward New Mexico ports for purely political reasons.

“Our enemy is in Washington, not in Ojinaga,” Burner said, raising his criticism of Avalos. Avalos could not be reached for comment.

Cole did respond to the allegations made against Avalos though, saying, “Unfortunately, I don’t have any additional information beyond what I have already provided. As I’ve said, decisions to close various ports are made with the safety of our employees in mind.”

In another communication from Cole regarding the security situation between the ports in Presidio and Santa Teresa, she responded, “I can’t get into the specifics of security assessments at the two facilities, but I can tell you that there are differences between them. We continually monitor the situation at all of our facilities and make decisions accordingly. Since 2010, every time we have received information about risks to our employees at a particular facility, we have taken immediate steps to close the facility while a security assessment could be performed. Operations have only resumed once a security assessment reflected it was safe, which in some cases meant relocating facilities to temporary sites with the U.S.”

When asked if there are any indicators or any timeline for allowing USDA inspectors to resume work at the Ojinaga facility, Cole stated, “We don’t have a timeline to determine that but we are working to determine those solutions.”

Presidio businessman Carlos Nieto, brother to Mario Nieto, has taken the complex issue to the highest level of the Mexican government. Nieto has formed a coalition of livestock brokers and businessmen in Presidio and Ojinaga to raise awareness of the economic impact the removal of USDA inspectors in Ojinaga has had on not only Presidio and Ojinaga, but in the entire tri-county area. Nieto, Baeza, and Burner have also reached out to Congressmen Francisco Canseco and Sylvester Reyes. However, neither congressman will return to Washington in January as both were defeated by political opponents this year.

The smaller USDA inspection facility in Presidio.

“This has been our way of life here for over 80 years,” said Nieto. “If we lose our revenue stream from the cattle, it will be lost forever.”

Nieto also emphasized the unemployment on both sides of the border if the head count of the cattle continues to decline.

“The whole area is impacted,” Nieto said, “trucking, gas stations, hay producers, they all have a stake with the ranchers bringing their cattle through our port. We’ve had four or five generations of ranchers that have used the Presidio port. They like it here. It’s easy to get around; they know where the stockyards are, they know where to get the supplies they need. It’s also closer to a lot of them than Santa Teresa.”

The two cattlemen, Baeza and Burner, hope to see things go back to the way things were so they can continue to operate their small, but successful businesses.

There is a fear that exists. The fear that a centuries old identity shared between Texas and Chihuahua vaqueros may soon become extinct. The modern cowboy/vaquero identity is still alive in Baeza, Burner, Baca, and the Attolini father and son. They may be from different countries, but they speak each other’s language; they wear the same cowboy boots, and straw hats. The difference between Texas cowboys and Chihuahua vaqueros are far and few between. The only thing that separates the two is an international border, but their concerns for their families and livelihoods are shared.

Speaking to the security of Presidio and Ojinaga, Burner reiterated that he doesn’t want to put USDA inspectors in harm’s way, but stressed that Far West Texas and northern Chihuahua are as safe as can be.

“Where there is a legitimate security problem, shut it down,” Burner said.

“But don’t lie to us,” said Baeza.

MARFA – Representatives from area public schools sat down with U.S. Border Patrol Big Bend Sector officials last Thursday to discuss the agency’s policy regarding school bus inspections at checkpoints following the recent incident where nearly 500 pounds of marijuana was discovered on a Van Horn school bus in Marfa.

“Our objective is ...]]> By ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN

MARFA – Representatives from area public schools sat down with U.S. Border Patrol Big Bend Sector officials last Thursday to discuss the agency’s policy regarding school bus inspections at checkpoints following the recent incident where nearly 500 pounds of marijuana was discovered on a Van Horn school bus in Marfa.

“Our objective is the safety of the children,” Chief Patrol Agent John Smietana said to the room full of school officials from Alpine, Balmorhea, Fort Davis, Fort Stockton, Marfa, Pecos, Presidio, Sierra Blanca, Valentine, and Van Horn.

“We know how big an event this was. We want to make sure you’re comfortable the next time your bus goes through our checkpoints,” Border Patrol agent Steven Crump said as he explained the policies regarding school buses passing through a Border Patrol checkpoint and what Border Patrol plans to do in the future.

Border Patrol agent Steven Crump explains Border Patrol's checkpoint procedures to area school officials. (photo by ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN)

Crump said that Border Patrol agents typically run drug- and human-detecting canines along the downwind side of vehicles stopped at checkpoints to detect any hidden contraband or passengers.

“We’re going to go a step beyond what we typically do,” Crump said regarding school buses, which is to have a canine unit check three sides of the bus instead of just the downwind side.

The canines, Crump explained, aren’t trained to find the substance, but rather the odor of narcotics or smuggled passengers.

In the event that a canine alerts to a hidden substance on a school bus, the bus will be sent to a secondary inspection, the bus driver and faculty notified of the situation, and all passengers, including the driver, faculty, school staff and students, will be asked to exit the bus and leave all their belongings on board.

Agents won’t inquire about the immigration status of students, he said. “Any student in your care, we will not be conducting an immigration inspection.”

A canine unit will inspect the exterior and interior of the school bus, and should any narcotics be found, large or small, the case will be handed over to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials and local police officers and school officials will be notified.

If a search yields a negative result, but Border Patrol agents are suspicious that a passenger is carrying narcotics, local law enforcement will be notified.

“We’re going to let the school or local law enforcement deal with that. We’re not going to be frisking students. We’re not going to be patting down children,” Crump said.

Bags of marijuana were discovered in the cargo hold of a Van Horn school bus in Marfa as the bus was making its way back to Van Horn from a basketball game in Presidio. (photo courtesy Presidio County Sheriff's Office)

Presidio ISD Superintendent Dennis McEntire suggested that area schools take a pro-active step in preventing narcotics or people from being smuggled on their buses.

“Presidio has been doing this for years. We know where we live. We know our kids are at risk. We invite the DEA and Border Patrol to our schools, but they are limited,” McEntire said, adding that his school district employs the use of drug-sniffing dogs on their vehicles and campuses.

Asked how the nearly 500 pounds of marijuana made it past the Marfa checkpoint in the first place, Crump and sector deputy chief patrol agent Carry Huffman said that a canine unit was simply not available that night.

Van Horn student athletes had played some basketball games in Presidio the night of November 19. The pot was discovered by the Van Horn bus driver and a coach when the teams stopped for a snack at the eastside Marfa Stripes convenience store before returning to Van Horn.

“In all likelihood, if a canine was there it would have alerted. We just don’t have the amount of dogs we would like to have,” Huffman said.

School officials see a demonstration by Border Patrol agents on school bus inspections at checkpoints. (photo by ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN)

“The problem with the so called drug war,” Presidio County Judge Paul Hunt said during the meeting, “is it has created distribution networks that looks for soft spots in our society and co-opts our most precious things. We need policies in place like these to protect (Emergency Medical Services) and kids.”

McEntire agreed. “I think this is sending a message to everyone: don’t use our buses because we’re going to catch it.”

He said that the schools have a responsibility to help federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies combat these types of smuggling operations. He also addressed the negative perception that Presidio has received in the wake of this ordeal.

“You don’t need a (police) escort to go to Presidio. It’s not dangerous,” McEntire said. “We are preventative.”

Huffman, who said his children ride the school buses in the area, said the 500-pound drug event was an “eye opener,” and that Border Patrol is going to “be more aggressive. We’re going to be more demonstrative. They’ve taken a very positive stance in Presidio (schools). Presidio checks their buses. We want what we do at our checkpoints to equalize (what schools do).”

Smietana ended the discussion by saying that the communities in the Big Bend area are some of the safest communities “because everyone works together,” and that with further cooperation, “we’ll make sure this is the safest place in the country.”

PRESIDIO – Presidio’s new port of entry director may be a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Customs Service (now U.S. Customs and Border Protection), having served both on the northern and southern borders of the United States, at the port city of Houston, at headquarters in Washington, DC, and as an instructor at ...]]> By ROBERT HALPERN

PRESIDIO – Presidio’s new port of entry director may be a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Customs Service (now U.S. Customs and Border Protection), having served both on the northern and southern borders of the United States, at the port city of Houston, at headquarters in Washington, DC, and as an instructor at the agency’s academy, but David Lambrix is a man who doesn’t rest on his laurels.

“You’ll see me outside at my port. I don’t sit in my office,” Lambrix told a small gathering of residents who welcomed him to town at a “meet and greet” gathering at the Presidio Activity Center on Tuesday.

It’s sometimes the case that a federal officer is banished to remote posts like Presidio, but Lambrix said, “I chose this station,” in part because of the excellence of the Presidio school system. Three of his five children are now Presidio students.

His other children, with his wife of 35 years, are grown and live elsewhere.

From left, Presidio port of entry diretor David Lambrix; Esteban Mesa, supervisory CBP officer, Presidio; Patricia Aveitia, assistant director of trade operations, El Paso; and Alex Leos Jr., assistant port director trade, Marfa. (staff photo by ROBERT HALPERN)

He said he’s come to Presidio to continue the good work that inspectors, agents, and officers already are doing, to fix the things that need fixing, like wait times at the port, and to partner with local and state officials and his Mexican counterparts.

Lambrix said he’s already conducted emergency preparedness training in Presidio with local, state and Mexican authorities, and he said training sessions of various kinds would continue under this leadership.

He’s a longtime firefighter and a U.S. Air Force veteran as well, with 17 moves during his career. “Law enforcement is in my blood,” he said.

In his short time in town – he reported for duty on November 4 – he said he’s found a “friendly, welcoming community.”

Indeed, welcoming Lambrix on Tuesday was Brad Newton with the City of Presidio; Jose Cabezuela with the Presidio Police Department; Carry Huffman, deputy chief patrol agent with the Big Bend Border Patrol Sector; Timothy Stone of the Homeland Security offices in Presidio and Alpine; Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez; The Presidio International newspaper; and H. Cowan with Solitaire Homes.

Solitaire has a manufacturing plant across the Rio Grande in Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico, with a finishing and shipping facility in Presidio.

Likewise, Lambrix said he has an open door policy and the “coffee is always on.”

He noted that construction of 27 more homes for the growing contingent of federal employees who live in Presidio has begun, and that more inspectors should be assigned to Presidio in the coming months, noting that like the federal government did in beefing up the Border Patrol ranks several years ago, Washington has funded more Customs employees in the near future.

He said that surveying has commenced to get a new railroad bridge linking Presidio and Ojinaga again. The bridge burned twice in two arson cases that have never been solved. Likewise, an unsolved arson case razed the Presidio railroad depot.

While cattle at the moment aren’t being inspected in Mexico before their importation is allowed, as had been done in the past, because of security concerns and the retirement of a veterinarian, the new USDA veterinarian has committed to longer hours in Presidio, Lambrix said. An oversize gate is being consideration to speed up crossing times.

While border trade is growing all the time, Customs remains constrained with the small size of Presidio port facilities, he said. That may take a little longer to fix.

But, “I’m part of this community now, and I want to see it grow, Lambrix said.

Lambrix replaces John Prewit who retired from CBP this summer. Lambrix arrived at the port of entry November 4.

A formal change of command ceremony is planned for December 6. Before receiving his current ...]]> PRESIDIO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has named David Lambrix as the new Port Director at the Presidio Port of Entry.

Lambrix replaces John Prewit who retired from CBP this summer. Lambrix arrived at the port of entry November 4.

A formal change of command ceremony is planned for December 6. Before receiving his current assignment Lambrix served as Chief: Operations Manager in the Office of the Commissioner, Joint Operations Directorate/CBP Headquarters.

David Lambrix

“My family and I are very happy to be a part of the Presidio community,” said Lambrix. “We look forward to cementing the relationship between CBP and the Presidio community. My motto is, ‘Never tire from doing what is right.’”

As the Presidio Port Director, Lambrix will direct operations and enforcement activities at the Presidio port of entry as well as provide oversight on the Boquillas international crossing currently being implemented at the Big Bend National Park. He will oversee CBP employees at these locations including CBP officers, Agriculture Specialists, Canine Enforcement Officers, and other personnel working in other disciplines.

Lambrix will work to ensure that the agency’s primary mission of preventing terrorists or weapons of terror from entering the United States is accomplished on a daily basis. He is also responsible for all immigration issues related to the admission and exclusion of people applying for entry into the United States. He also is responsible for customs and agriculture inspections at the ports of entry to ensure that all goods and people entering the United States do so in accordance with our laws and regulations, while ensuring that they are facilitated in their processing to support the global market place and the international tourism industries.

Lambrix began his career with U. S. Customs and Border Protection (U. S. Customs Service) in 1988 in Detroit, Michigan. He has also been assigned to International Falls, Minnesota, Calexico, California, and Houston.

Lambrix also served as a Customs Instructor at the U.S. Customs Academy, and Instructor assigned to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where he started the Antiterrorism/Aviation Safety and Security Training Program. His experience is very broad, extending from his core CBP Field Operations competencies to include but not limited to interagency operations integration, incident management, continuity of operations/continuity of government, business resumption, vehicle fleet management.  In addition, he is a Master Exercise Practitioner; an instructor for the International Law Enforcement Academy, FEMA and Lead Field Coordinator program as well as a Primary Firearms Instructor.

While at Headquarters, Lambrix was key in the implementation of the Mexico and CBP Business Resumption. He served as the lead instructor in the very first Bi-national Incident Command Systems training between the United States and Mexico. He was also the lead coordinator for the CBP Lead Field Coordinator program and lead the design of the CBP FEMA Region VI all hazard plan. Lambrix worked with leadership during Operation Hardline and was the U.S. Customs Inspector, assigned to Border Patrol and DEA, to set up the Law Enforcement Coordination Center (Valley Project) under, U.S. Attorney Alan Bersin. He also served as NTEU President in Detroit and Houston.

Lambrix is also a certified Firefighter having worked in Northern Minnesota as a Firefighter (Captain/Assistant Chief/ EMT), Minnesota Fire Instructor and also a Department of the Navy Firefighter at the Blue Angels winter Base in El Centro, CA. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force where he served as a firefighter and an air rescue member. He attended Thief River Falls, MN Community College for Criminal Justice and the U.S. Air Force School of Applied Aerospace Science for Fire Fighting.

Currently, Lambrix is an integral member of the JOD/Joint Communications Division, overseeing the startup of the WebEOC for all Hazards, the AtHOC communications system – to notify CBP employees during emergencies, incidents, and international communication with CBP, Mexico Customs and Canada Customs as well as State, Local and Tribal offices. This division is currently testing a mobile pc solution (tablets) for both, office and field deployment.

Lambrix is married and has five children.

OJINAGA, Chih., Mex. – The city government here and the Integrated Family Development (DIF) of Ojinaga conducted a 15-day effort to raise food supplies to help those affected by the drought in the Sierra Tarahumara.

The food drive concluded February 5th at the city square, which was attended by several musical groups that ...]]> By DIANA AGUIRRE ARMENDÁRIZ

OJINAGA, Chih., Mex. – The city government here and the Integrated Family Development (DIF) of Ojinaga conducted a 15-day effort to raise food supplies to help those affected by the drought in the Sierra Tarahumara.

The food drive concluded February 5^th at the city square, which was attended by several musical groups that played as final contributions were made.

With about 6,000 tons collected the day of closing, the members of DIF don´t know the exact date of delivery of the food supplies. However, the delivery may take place during the course of the week after the event.

“What we got together today is still separated from what we have in our installations, so we are looking for transportation to deliver the aid, which is big, because for fifteen days people have come to the DIF to give us their support since we publicized our campaign through the radio. Also, with the aid of volunteers, we went from house to house, we appealed to churches, schools and other organizations who sent us donations,” said Lucy de Valdivia, president of DIF.

Vicente Hernández, Representative of Social Communication, broadcast live during the morning on Radio Ranchito, and in the afternoon on radio La Poderosa about what was happening at the event while inviting people to contribute to the  humanitarian work.

Félix Cabello, Social Civic Manager, also received the different types of support that people took to the square.

Meanwhile, Marina Zaragoza, director of DIF, made an inventory of the products and of the institutions who made donations in order to keep track of the proceeds.

The list of contributors for this noble task is very long, reason for which both institutions are grateful to each and every person who took the time to take part in the event.

“We are delighted by the response of the people who, within their means, are helping their brethren who are most in need,” said Zaragoza during the event.

The program began with professor Tirzo Gutiérrez´s band, Quiriba, and continued with Tecno Banda, Calor Norteño, Conquistadores de Ojinaga, Letty Pando-Alfredo Nieto-Trini Villalba, Linces del Bravo, Banda Durangueze, Leyenda Musical, and ended with the band Centauro Musical.

The story of our community’s response to the drought and hunger in the Sierra Tarahumara is one worth telling. Last fall I witnessed firsthand the withered crops and the conditions that the people of those highlands were facing as a result of the current drought.

In early December, Jim Glendinning and I put a ...]]> By PILAR PEDERSEN

The story of our community’s response to the drought and hunger in the Sierra Tarahumara is one worth telling. Last fall I witnessed firsthand the withered crops and the conditions that the people of those highlands were facing as a result of the current drought.

In early December, Jim Glendinning and I put a small news item in this and other local papers asking for help in the form of monetary contributions.  Despite a tight economy here at home, people on this side of the border looked past negative press regarding Mexico and reached out to help their neighbors.

We received a tremendous response.  In a little over a week we had collected nearly $1,300, which we wired to the Cuauhtémoc Food Bank buy food basics and distribute in a remote community called Retosachi.  The donations continued to stream in, and we gratefully informed people that we would accept contributions through the end of the year.  Another $3,338 arrived, in individual checks made out to me, Pilar Pedersen.

In early January, Mexican tour operator and guide Dave Hensleigh posted a request for aid on his website.  In the lapse of 10 days, Dave had raised another $2,200, which he wired to my bank.  A total $6,832 was contributed by folks from the Trans Pecos, East Texas, and as far away as Colorado and Oregon to help the people of the Sierra.

Tarahumara women and children with their sacks of corn.

This astounding response called for appropriate action on our part.  How could we best utilize these funds to reach the greatest number of people?  I queried my Mexican friends, and also called the Mexican Consulate.  All answered the same:  to ensure that every dollar was used to stave off hunger we needed to take this money to Mexico, buy the food supplies, and distribute it ourselves. We ended up doing just that.

Sunday, January 29, I drove south, arriving in the city of Cuauhtémoc  at 4:30pm, in time to meet pianist Romayne Wheeler on the steps of the municipal building (presidencia) where he was soliciting for his community of Retosachi.  Mexicans, on foot and through the open windows of their cars, were delivering bags of food.  Romayne had been putting out the word via radio ads and interviews for the past week.  He will return to Cuauhtémoc each month with the same mission; to save his adopted community from hunger.  I handed him an envelope containing $550.

Thanks to the prior footwork of my local friends, I was able to go to the warehouse of Mennonite farmer Cornelius Wall Giesbrecht the following day and purchase ten metric tons of white corn for $4,644.  Cornelius agreed to bag it in sacks of 40kg for pick-up on Tuesday morning. We also purchased a half ton of table salt ($196).  In the meantime, the presidencia of the municipality of Batopilas was sending a truck to transport our cargo down the winding dirt trail to the town of that name, deep in the canyons.

Batopilas is listed as the second poorest municipality in the Republic of Mexico.  I heard from all my sources that, while all the communities in the region were struggling, Batopilas needed extra help.  Most fortuitously, I have good contacts in Batopilas.  It was the correct choice.

Beans and corn form the basis of the Tarahumara diet, but especially corn.  Because beans are scarce and consequently expensive, we chose to reach the most people with the resources we had.  A 40 kg sack of corn with 2 kg salt (to flavor the tortillas, the pinole, atole and even tesguino) would keep a family alive for a month.  That became our goal.  We had 270 sacks.

Tarahumara men wait in line for sacks of corn.

Our operation went flawlessly.  The truck arrived; the bags of corn were counted and carefully loaded.  Cornelius even donated an additional 10 sacks to our cause.  We departed for the Sierra. I arrived, ahead of the truck, in the town of Batopilas after dark that evening. Presidente Leonel  Hernandez and his men were waiting for me in the plaza. I was to spend no more of my own money for the next three days.

The truck lumbered into town late the next morning and was rapidly unloaded into four smaller vehicles.  That which we didn’t take was stacked in the official warehouse on the square.  Then we departed.  Though I am a seasoned traveler in these mountains and canyons, I was unprepared for the journey we were about to make.  In the space of seven hours we scaled the 5,000-foot canyon walls from rim to rim, starting, pausing, and ending at the bottom.  Only an experienced driver can pilot a truck up the impossibly steep, narrow, serpentine roads we traversed.  And only a passenger with strong nerves agrees to sit shotgun.

The Presidente’s men had radioed ahead; in each locale groups of small leathery Tarahumaras wearing brilliantly-hued costumes were waiting for us.  Guacaybo, Plátano, Chapátere, Munérachi, Santa Rita. To each community the explanation was the same:  This was not a political act, but one of concern.  People up north had heard of the drought and suffering, and many had donated to be able to buy this corn, this salt.  That I, Pilar, had come to Mexico to deliver it, and the presidencia was helping with transportation.

I watched each group apply serious attention in allocating the sacks of corn to individual households.  Those not present, houses with women and children but no men, were carefully included.  The same attention was used to guarantee that no family group received more than one sack.  They understood implicitly that if one dipped twice it meant someone in a location further on would go without.

After distribution, each person, men and women alike, approached to shake my hand and thank me.   The Tarahumara, or Rarámuri as they prefer to be called, are naturally shy and retiring people.  It has saved them  from intruders many times.  I was pierced by those warm smiles and penetrating gazes.  It is the treasure I take with me.

The next day saw us loaded up again as we distributed the remaining 60 bags of corn.  The following morning I departed Batopilas.  On the long drive up the canyon and out of the Sierra, I had much time to think and reflect.  This mission, of international cooperation to help a people in need, had been a success.  But what comes next?    The canyons are parched.  The higher communities are nearly out of water.  If rain doesn’t come the rivers themselves will be dry by May.

Determined to spend every donated penny in Chihuahua, I left the last $160 with my trusted friend Olivia, to buy corn and beans to give to the pianist when he comes to stand his vigil for food next month.

My heart is full of gratitude for the people of the north who gave from their hearts,  and the diligence of those in Mexico who made it all come together.   I learned a new phrase in Rarámuri while amongst them:  “Canilga muchisi, diós y yuga”.  May God bless you.

You can visit Dave Hensleigh’s website at: www.authenticcoppercanyon.com.

To contribute, please make monetary donations to Pilar Pedersen, PO Box 342, Alpine, TX 79832. Information: 432.837.9980.

CIUDAD CHIHUAHUA, Mex. – The international vehicle bridge expansion between Ojinaga and Presidio is a top priority for economic developers in the state of Chihuahua this year, a member of the group said this week.

Retired U.S. Customs Service officer and Realtor Bob Wright of Marfa took part in the annual meeting of Consejo ...]]> By ROBERT HALPERN

CIUDAD CHIHUAHUA, Mex. – The international vehicle bridge expansion between Ojinaga and Presidio is a top priority for economic developers in the state of Chihuahua this year, a member of the group said this week.

Retired U.S. Customs Service officer and Realtor Bob Wright of Marfa took part in the annual meeting of Consejo para el Desarrollo Económico del Estado de Chihuahua (CODECH), the Chihuahua state economic development council held at the governor’s palace in Ciudad Chihuahua last week.

From left, Bob Wright of Marfa, Chihuahua Gov. Cesar Duarte Jacquez, and Maria de los Angeles Delgado Garcia, Ciudad Delicias economic development director.

“The biggest issue is the construction of the bridge,” Wright said. “Almost everything on the Mexican side is ready to begin. They’re ahead of us.”

The bridge plan is to add two lanes to the existing two-lane span. Presidio County is in the initial stages of the project with a first step to obtain a presidential permit to commence construction.

Bullet Transportation Co. President Jake Giesbrecht of Presidio also took part in the meeting. While Wright is a liaison to the group, the Presidio logistics executive is a full committee member, representing the interests of Presidio and Ojinaga. He couldn’t be reach for comment this week.

Other initiatives green-lighted by the committee were highway infrastructure upgrades throughout the state and water rights issues, Wright said.

Since his Customs retirement, Wright helps facilitate border trade and is a past full member of the group.

Chaired by Gov. Cesar Duarte Jacquez, the committee helps improve the quality of life through economic development in the state’s regions of Ojinaga, Juarez, Nuevo Casas Grandes, Camargo, Jimenez, Delicias, Madera, Cuahutemoc, Parral, Guachochi, and Guerrero.

“In 2011, CBP has contributed to our nation’s homeland ...]]> WASHINGTON, DC, MARFA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection this week released the agency’s fiscal year 2011 summary of CBP enforcement and border management efforts. The Big Bend Border Patrol Sector and the El Paso Field Office, which includes the Presidio port of entry, also released summaries.

“In 2011, CBP has contributed to our nation’s homeland security and economic vitality in ways that are immeasurable,” said Commissioner Alan D. Bersin. “However, these numbers illustrate the fact that this agency has invested significant energy in improving border enforcement, increasing efficiencies and building partnerships, all of which have significantly improved the way of life for all Americans.”

U.S. Border Patrol agents made 340,252 apprehensions in FY2011, down 47 percent over the past three years. Of those apprehended, the Border Patrol apprehended 87,334 people who had a record in the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System.

The Big Bend Sector apprehended 4,036 people, a decrease of 31 percent from FY2010.

Border Patrol agents also rescued 1,070 people in distress in FY2011.

CBP officers and agents (including Air and Marine and Border Patrol agents) seized nearly five million pounds of narcotics, a 20 percent increase from FY2010, and more than $126 million in undeclared currency.

Big Bend Sector also showed an increase in marijuana seized. In FY2011, they seized 55,743 pounds, an increased of almost six percent over the previous year.

Big Bend Sector

“The men and women of the Big Bend Sector continue to successfully protect our border communities, Texas and the United States,” said Chief Patrol Agent John J. Smietana, Jr. “The statistics only show a small part of our success. The better measurement is the high quality of life in our area.”

At the nation’s ports, CBP agriculture specialists seized more than 1.6 million prohibited plant materials, meat, and animal byproducts; intercepted nearly 183,000 pests at ports of entry and conducted more than 700,000 examinations on cargo containers. Additionally, CBP officers arrested 8,195 people wanted for crimes, including murder, rape, assault, robbery and other crimes. CBP officers and agriculture specialists conducted these enforcement actions while processing approximately 340 million incoming travelers and more than 24.3 million containers, of which 11.5 million containers were processed at seaports, another 10.1 million at land border crossings and 2.6 million at rail crossings.

As a result of CBP pre-departure targeting efforts, more than 3,100 individuals were denied boarding U.S. bound aircraft at foreign airports who would be found inadmissible for national security, insufficient or fraudulent documents and other admissibility concerns.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees from the El Paso Office of Field Operations, which includes the port at Presidio, recorded a number of highlights during the recently completed fiscal year 2011 which began October 1, 2010 and ended September 30, 2011. For example, CBP personnel working at area ports of entry seized in excess of 46 tons of illegal drugs while processing more than 26 million people applying for legal entry to the U.S.

“Our number one priority at El Paso area ports of entry remains homeland security,” said Ana Hinojosa, Director of Field Operation in El Paso. “CBP officers, agricultural specialists, canine teams and support staff are working hard everyday. Their vigilance and commitment to duty are helping maintain the safety and security of our nation. I commend them on their success.”

Along the southern border, Arizona had the greatest number of arrests compared to Texas, California and New Mexico. Texas had the greatest amount of drug seizures of the four border states.

CBP’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems flew more than 4,400 hours in FY2011, the most in the program’s history and 75 percent more than in FY 2010.  The UAS program contributed to the seizure of more than 7,600 pounds of narcotics and the apprehension of 467 individuals involved in illicit activities.

CBP’s P-3 aircraft contributed to the national counter-narcotics effort, maintaining a strong presence within the smuggling transit zones.  P-3 operations accounted for 62 percent of the Joint Inter Agency Task Force – South detections and resulted in the detection and interception of 169 drug smuggling events throughout the Caribbean Sea, eastern Pacific Ocean and over Central America.

In FY2011, CBP increased the number of Border Patrol agents to 21,444, an increase of 886 agents. By the end of FY2011, the agency employed 20,582 CBP officers, a decrease of 105 officers compared to fiscal year 2010.