NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

U.S.-Mexico Border Officials Balance Security, Commerce Needs

By Jane Morse  

Technology helps minimize delays, detect contraband

With speed and ferocious efficiency, officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ripped apart a nondescript pickup truck at the El Paso, Texas, port of entry from Mexico known as the " Bridge of Americas." Packed into the side walls of the bed of the pickup were bags and bags of marijuana.

It is a scene that is played out four to seven times each day at the four ports of entry in this city of 700,000 residents that lies just across the Rio Grande from Juarez, Mexico. In this case, it was not one of 60 canine teams that sniffed out the illegal narcotics, but a well-trained officer who discerned a nervous driver and a truck that looked a little odd.

While the city of El Paso itself is relatively small by American standards, the El Paso and Juarez metropolitan area includes some 2.6 million people and represents North America's fourth-largest manufacturing hub. Trade crossing through ports in the region amounted to $46.8 billion in 2006, according to statistics compiled by the El Paso Regional Economic Development Corporation.

Daily border crossings in 2006 - northbound only - tallied up to 42,648 private vehicles, 2,122 commercial trucks and 20,547 pedestrians.

El Paso Mayor John Cook told foreign journalists on a recent tour sponsored by the U.S. Foreign Press Center in Los Angeles that "the border joins us together [with Mexico], it doesn't separate us."

While the vibrant cross-border trade nurtures some 267,500 manufacturing jobs, cross-border activities also attract criminals.

According to Roger Maier, public affairs specialist for CBP in El Paso, narcotics are the largest problem. In fiscal year 2006, the El Paso Field Office seized 15.7 kilograms of heroin, 609 kilograms of cocaine, and almost 58,000 kilograms of marijuana.

"Seizures have gone up in 2007," he said, "to hit an all-time high." On one extremely busy Saturday in March, 13 separate drug seizures netted 4.4 kilograms of cocaine and 548 kilograms of marijuana.

Despite this, El Paso has been, during the last three years, one of the safest U.S. cities of its size - thanks in part to CBP's "Hold the Line" efforts that have reduced petty theft and auto and residential burglaries by 85 percent.

Although anti-terrorism remains CBP's primary mission, the intensive inspection processes in place since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States continue to yield impressive enforcement results in all categories of crime, Maier said.

But ever mindful of the balance of border protection and cross-border trade and travel convenience, the inspection process attempts to couple maximum detection capabilities with speed.

Although the average wait time to cross the Bridge of Americas can range from 30 minutes to two hours, the actual time it takes to inspect each person is about one minute, Maier said. Automated license plate readers, laser passport readers and radiation monitors all speed the process, he said.

To unload and manually inspect a commercial cargo truck could take two hours, Maier said. But thanks to new radiation portal monitors, and large-scale gamma-ray and X-ray imaging systems, a commercial cargo truck can be inspected in just six to 10 minutes.

Special programs for commercial and private traffic also facilitate land-border crossing. The Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program expedites processing for commercial carriers that have completed background checks and fulfill certain eligibility requirements.

For individuals who frequently cross land borders into the United States, there is the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) program. More than 129,000 travelers from both sides of the border currently are enrolled in this program.

Prospective SENTRI participants may apply online at the CBP Web site.

Source: U.S. Department of State