The last time I crossed the Mexican / US
border on the surface (driving or on foot) was 14 years ago. Since that time
(especially after 9/11), we realize that there have been changes in the
procedure with more changes anticipated. So, it was with some concern for us
in planning an end of the year trip that would involve crossing the border
at the famous San Ysidro crossing. And you might be aware that this is the
busiest land crossing between any two countries on the planet.
To put things into perspective, I travel with a US passport. My wife
travels with a Mexican passport and a green card (permanent legal resident)
for the US. On top of this, we were traveling with a great granddaughter,
age 7 years. For her, we had her original US birth certificate, a legal copy
of her mother's birth certificate (born in the US) and a notarized statement
from her mother authorizing the child to travel with my wife.
You might think that all of this documentation is a little over kill,
but there have been many announcements by both the US and Mexican
governments that am effort is in force to crack down on child smuggling now.
Not only are children of illegals being smuggled north to join their
families, but there is also a big business of mothers in México selling
children to smugglers for cash. And, of course, far worse, there is the
child porn business. So, a 7-year old child traveling with a couple
obviously not her parents would attract attention. So, we were careful to
have good documentation.
After landing at the Tihuana airport from México City, we were met by
the family in Chula Vista (just across the border) that we were visiting. We
had been warned that crossing at San Ysidro would be a lengthy process. The
wait was about one hour, not the three or four hours that we expected. Only
200 cars were in front of us in the line. There are 28 lanes for cars at the
crossing!
There was no outgoing Mexican checkpoint and when we came to the US
border agent, he checked the auto papers and waved us through without any
questions. And here my wife and I sat, holding our passports and documents
and the agent didn't even look at them. We felt kind of foolish.
Later, we took a short air trip from San Diego to Las Vegas. Now, we
were on a domestic air flight totally within the US. At both San Diego and
on the return from Las Vegas, we had to show passports three times! But at
no place in the entire trip did any one even ask about little Sophie, the
7-year old (who does not bear close resemblance to either my wife or I). So
much for increased checking for child smugglers.
There were no customs checks on our luggage at either side, coming or
going.
But this reminds me of another land crossing I heard about recently. In
this case, it involved a man, born in México and carried across the border
as a baby-in-arms by his parents. His parents have long ago gone through the
legalization process and their subsequent children have been born in the US
making them US citizens. But somehow, the oldest child was forgotten and
never was legalized.
Now, years later, he came under the scrutiny of ICE (Immigration and
Customs Enforcement administration). And they wanted to deport him as an
illegal. Now, married, with one child and another on the way, with good
education and holding a responsible job, he is declared an enemy of the US.
Remember, he has spent almost his entire life in the US, doesn't even read
Spanish and only barely speaks "street Spanish". Culturally, he is about as
American as you can get.
The legal case ran on for almost a year with numerous court appearances
costing the US who knows how much, and finally ended up with a deportation
order and date in which he was to surrender to the ICE. They ended up coming
to his home three days early, putting handcuffs on him and dragging him to
the airport 2 weeks from when his second expected child was to be born. Ah
yes, a true enemy to the US disposed of.
The man, after being delivered to an airport in central México, simply
took a bus to Laredo and walked back across the bridge. Once across the
bridge with a wave through, he went back to his family in the US.
In short, these two stories document just how well the DHS (Department
of Homeland Security) is protecting the US. Against the terror threat, they
are about as functional as they were in their performance for Katrina in New
Orleans.
Now, if I were Osama bin Laden, I would simply drive, or walk across
either the Canadian or Mexican border and after getting settled in the US,
order my bomb making supplies to be shipped in a container shipment by sea.
The chance of a container shipment being inspected is far less of a
possibility that being stolen by thieves at the incoming port.
As I have said before, simply increasing the size of a bureaucracy does
not assure more effectiveness, it only assures more blundering and more
cost.
The new head of the DHS has just promised to "greatly increase"
security at all borders. Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it.
And how much will security be increased with a new 700-mile wall? On
the South border only? Might I suggest that the DHS is looking in the wrong
places?
_____________________________________
Richard N. Baldwin T., a HispanicVista.com (http://www.hispanicvista.com/)
contributing columnist, lives in Tlalnepantla, Edo de México. E-mail at:
R1041643422@aol.com
By
Richard N. Baldwin T. /HispanicVista.com