U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION

U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than $4 million worth of methamphetamine Friday at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge. CBP officers referred a tractor trailer, attempting to cross from Mexico into the U.S. on Friday, for a secondary inspection where they found 1,200 packages hidden within the trailer, according to the news release. Authorities determined the packages contained a total of 310.85 pounds of methamphetamine inside. The narcotics and trailer were seized by CBP; however, the case remains under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations agents. The news release did not specify whether an arrest was made.

The 'Haitian Invasion' coin is just one of several celebrating the bad behavior of law enforcement officials.

Employees accused of misconduct at the Department of Homeland Security could face more stringent penalties under an overhaul that follows complaints about the handling of internal discipline in the third largest U.S. government agency.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly $340,000 worth of fentanyl at the Hidalgo International Bridge on Wednesday, according to a news release from the federal agency.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at a Laredo port of entry seized $7.1 million of methamphetamine.

Two men are under arrest after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers noticed drug packaging coming out of the left quarter panel area of the trunk in a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. Further investigation by CBP resulted in the discovery of nearly 75 pounds of cocaine, which landed Juan Rosales-Hernandez, born in 1991, and David Ibarra-Ibarra, born in 1986, in federal custody for drug smuggling. In addition to observing drug packaging coming out of the rear quarter panel, CBP also conducted an X-ray which showed anomalies in the vehicle. An inspection revealed 29 bundles of cocaine hidden within the roof and rear quarter panel, according to a criminal complaint. The suspects made an initial appearance Thursday morning in federal court in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker, who ordered them temporarily held without bond pending further court proceedings.

May 23 was the day the Biden Administration hoped to end Title 42. A federal judge’s ruling allows it to stay in place, for now.

Since October, Border Patrol has taken 1.5 million "enforcement actions" against people crossing from Mexico without lawful authorization.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture etymologist with the Smithsonian Institution studied the creatures and determined it was a type of moth that has not been encountered for 110 years.

Haitians are fleeing in greater numbers to the neighboring Dominican Republic, where they step onto rickety wooden boats as they attempt to reach Puerto Rico — a trip in which 11 Haitian women drowned this week, with dozens of other migrants believed missing.

Agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a “rare” and damaging pest at the South Texas border earlier this month – the first time the bug has ever been spotted in the U.S.

Agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection found more than $18 million worth of meth hidden within a tractor-trailer on the South Texas border over the weekend.

Federal prosecutors charged a man who U.S. Customs and Border Protection said attacked officers Tuesday at the Roma port of entry.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents managed to intercept over $75,000 worth of alleged fentanyl on Saturday at the Hidalgo International Bridge, according to a news release from the federal agency. Officers at the bridge encountered a black Ford F-150 pickup truck trying to enter the United States from Mexico when the truck was selected for inspection, the document reads. The document reveals that agents carefully extracted nearly five pounds of alleged fentanyl concealed within the vehicle which was estimated to be worth about $76,800. “Our CBP officers use all available resources to identify and extract narcotics with caution,” Port Director Carlos Rodriguez said. The case remains under investigation by special agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations, the release said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says an agent in Texas has been arrested and charged with assaulting and mistreating a juvenile in custody.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge stopped thousands of rounds of ammunition from going into Mexico on Tuesday, an agency news release said. CBP officers inspected a white Chevrolet pickup truck traveling into Mexico and, according to the CBP release, found 3,000 rounds of .38 caliber pistol ammunition and 13,000 rounds of 7.62X39 rifle ammunition hidden in the vehicle. In all, CBP officers seized 16,000 rounds during the single inspection. “Our CBP officers prevented this ammunition from landing in the streets of Mexico, helping to save countless lives all thanks to their diligent inspection work,” Port Director Carlos Rodriguez said in the release. “The undeclared exportation of weapons and ammunition into Mexico is illegal.”CBP seized the ammunition and the vehicle, and the case remains under investigation by special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations.

Traditionally, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and the Easter holiday weekend are the busiest times of the year for CBP agriculture specialists. Since April 1, CBP agriculture specialists have inspected more than 287,000 shipments of cut flowers from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, intercepting 857 significant pests of varying species. CBP recommends that people who wish to import flowers, plant materials, and other agricultural items consult the CBP Information Center section on the CBP website before they travel, or call (877) 227-5511. CBP now offers the CBP One mobile app, which allows travelers to request a variety of CBP services, including inspection of agricultural products. The CBP One app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Border Patrol agents stationed at Fort Brown seized more than 480 pounds of marijuana from the vehicle after the pursuit. The driver failed to yield, which prompted agents and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers engaging in a vehicleto pursue the pickup truck, according to the release. CBP says the truck drove through a fence and hit a Border Patrol vehicle before driving into the Rio Grande, where the driver was observed to have crossed into Mexico after leaving behind 22 bundles of marijuana in the truck. The marijuana, which was estimated to weigh over 480 pounds, is valued at about $400,000, according to CBP. Agents believe the truck was ferried across the river.

BROWNSVILLE — A traveler from Magnolia, Texas, was stopped at the border while trying to return from Mexico with a lot of pills this weekend, federal authorities announced Tuesday. “This seizure of undeclared prescription medication was composed of sedatives and other medications that are classified as controlled substances by the Drug Enforcement Administration,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry. While in the secondary inspection area, with the aid of a canine unit and a non-intrusive inspection system, CBP officers discovered pills hidden within the vehicle. CBP officers removed the prescription medication, which contained a total of 71,590 pills, including 58,038 Xanax pills. Authorities seized the undeclared medication and the vehicle, arrested the traveler and turned him over to the custody of Cameron County Sheriff’s Department for further investigation.

Authorities at the Hidalgo international bridge say they seized as much as $1 million in meth and cocaine over the weekend.

The Biden administration has released a plan to deal with an increase in already historic numbers of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a woman carrying over $114,000 in undeclared cash as she tried to cross into Mexico by taxi at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge on Sunday, according to a news release from the federal agency. Officers conducting outbound enforcement operations selected a blue Ford SUV for inspection. At the second inspection area, officers found three bulk currency packages sealed in plastic bags and wrapped with black tape inside of Zuniga’s jacket and purse, the release said. Because she was physically holding the packages, officers believe she knowingly concealed the cash, according to the complaint. Officers counted a total of twelve packages with a total of $114,294 on Zuniga’s person.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a man wanted for a sexual offense...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers said they seized more than $35 million in...

“In particular, Tamaulipas will provide the personnel, resources and tactics to stem the flow of illegal immigrants walking across the border at low-water crossings,” Abbott said. “If those crossings resume or increase, it will signal the cartel-supported crossings have increased and that Texas must reinstate the more stringent vehicle inspection standard,” the Texas governor said. Cabeza de Vaca is the latest of Mexican governors who have reached a similar agreement with Abbott. Nearly half of all border commerce enters through the 18 ports of entry of the Mexican border state, Cabeza de Vaca emphasized. Those are the ones who need to do something in the southern part of Mexico,” the Tamaulipas governor said.

The increase in border arrivals comes as the U.S. prepares to wind down the Title 42 pandemic-era rule, which allows authorities to swiftly expel migrants.

Authorities are investigating the cause of death this week of a Mexican woman whose leg was entangled while using a climbing harness and ended up hanging upside down off the border wall in eastern Arizona.

The CBP commissioner said Gov. Greg Abbott isn’t coordinating with the agency as Texas sends migrants far from their immigration proceedings.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have arrested three men wanted on sexual...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Brownsville seized $106,000, authorities announced Thursday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized about $3.2 million in cocaine at the...

Team Brownsville, the group of Good Neighbor Settlement House humanitarians who rose up to meet the crush of asylum seekers arriving in Brownsville and welcome them with dignity in 2018-2019, is celebrating James Pace’s new book that tells the refugees’ stories.

Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said the migrants, many carrying luggage, arrived on a 30-foot vessel. He said there remains “some questions” about how many, if any, of the occupants “dissipated into the community” before they could be apprehended.

A man wanted for sexually molesting a child has been arrested at the Juarez-Lincoln...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than $4 million in meth at the...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested two fugitives wanted for sexual...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers apprehended two Rio Grande Valley residents last week who had warrants for child-related sex crimes.

A Southern California man is accused of smuggling more than 1,700 reptiles — including baby crocodiles and Mexican beaded lizards — into the U.S. since 2016.

A man wanted for sexual assault in Ohio has been arrested at the Gateway to the Americas...

MISSION, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO)...

A stash house was shut down in Laredo containing several migrants, according to U.S....

Over $1 million worth of methamphetamine was seized in Hidalgo, Texas, according to U.S....

U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar announced Monday that he secured $100 million for U.S....

Agriculture Specialists with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations at the Gateway International Bridge intercepted a rare “First in Nation” pest in Spanish moss used to decorate a Christmas nativity stable. The interception occurred on Dec. 3, 2021, at the Gateway International Bridge when a vehicle was referred to secondary for agriculture inspection of a nativity stable decorated with Spanish moss, CBP said in a media release. During the examination of the Spanish moss, CBP agriculture specialists intercepted a stink bug which was submitted for identification to a local U.S. Department of Agriculture area entomologist. I commend our agriculture specialists for another First in Nation pest interception,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Brownsville Port of Entry. The media release states insects in the Pentatomidae family, commonly known as stink bugs, have sucking mouthparts and feed on a wide variety of fruits and plants and many may be detrimental to the nation’s agriculture.

Haitian migrants are reaching Florida’s shores in repeated suspected human smuggling operations, outpacing last year’s migration waves.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing center in McAllen used to detain migrants in their temporary custody was officially reopened after a year-long renovation project. The 77,000 square-foot processing center known as Ursula, due to its location on Ursula Avenue in McAllen, was updated after it was closed for renovations in October 2020. While the facility was renovated, the agency struggled with overcrowding during a year when apprehensions broke previous records. The space created to hold migrants in the interim included a temporary outdoor processing center under the Anzalduas International Bridge and a soft-sided facility in Donna; but both proved to be problematic during the pandemic when numbers rose above capacity. “CBP will continue to closely coordinate with ICE and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement in caring, processing, screening, and transitioning migrants out of Border Patrol custody,” Monday’s news release added.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a man wanted for sexually assaulting...

A man has been arrested for attempting to smuggle multiple firearms, magazines and...

A bus driver tried smuggling more than $840,000 in cocaine and meth, according to an...

A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer has admitted he helped others...

The 30-year-old U.S. citizen was trying to smuggle 43 horned lizards and nine snakes in small bags into the United States, officials say.

He had 52 lizards and snakes on him – some considered endangered -- while driving a truck when he got to the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico, authorities say.

Authorities say a man who tried to slither past U.S. border agents in California had 52 lizards and snakes hidden in his clothing.

A man who tried to slither past U.S. border agents in California had 52 lizards and snakes hidden in his clothing, authorities said Tuesday. The man was driving a truck when he arrived at the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico on Feb. 25 and was pulled out for additional inspection, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. Nine snakes and 43 horned lizards were seized.

Federal officials say a wooden boat carrying hundreds of Haitian migrants in a suspected human smuggling operation ran aground just off Key Largo, Florida.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested two men wanted for sexual offenses...

A Mexican citizen has been indicted in a Laredo federal court for attempting to smuggle...

A man was recently arrested following a physical altercation with U.S. Customs and Border...

Authorities have seized nearly $3 million worth of methamphetamine, hidden among a shipment of onions, during a tractor-trailer’s inspection at federal facility in San Diego.

1,197 packages of meth were shaped into small globes disguised to blend in within an onion shipment.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested two people Saturday after officers found nearly 200 pounds of cocaine hidden in their vehicle. Luis Hernandez Reyes, born in 1989, and Merle Ramirez Gonzalez, born in 1981, both of Mexico, are charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a little more than 188 pounds of cocaine. An X-ray of the vehicle revealed an anomaly in the floorboard, which alerted a drug-sniffing dog, according to CBP. “Hernandez-Reyes stated he was recruited to cross narcotics from Mexico into the United States,” the complaint stated. He believed that he would be paid $4,000 when he started crossing cocaine, according to the complaint.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection have announced that in preparations for the Abrazo...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at...

A man wanted for sexual assault of a child in Georgia has been apprehended at a Laredo...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers on Sunday discovered a little more than 13 pounds of methamphetamine inside two fire extinguishers. CBP found the alleged narcotics after encountering Kevin Reyes, a United States citizen born in 2003, at the Hidalgo port of entry. “A fire extinguisher was in the rear seat and another fire extinguisher was identified in the trunk of the vehicle,” the complaint stated. “Post Miranda, Reyes stated he assumed there was a controlled substance concealed within the fire extinguishers, but he did not know the amount or type of controlled substance. Reyes did not know the recipient nor the destination of the fire extinguishers,” the complaint states.

A Texas man who transported two men from Mexico in a U.S. flag-draped coffin has pleaded guilty to human smuggling.

Undeclared spider monkeys were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Dec. 30 after officers discovered the primates in a duffle bag.

An internal review has been launched into the actions of a special Customs and Border Protection unit that used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists, including an Associated Press reporter.

From October 2020 through September 2021, agents encountered roughly 1,733,652 million migrants, surpassing fiscal year 2000, when 1,643,679 border encounters were logged.

A special federal Customs and Border Protection unit used sensitive government databases intended to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press reporter.

The U.S. Justice Department is in talks to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to each child and parent who was separated under a Trump-era practice of splitting families at the border.

In March, Border Patrol agents encountered more migrants in a single month than they have since 2006, according to the latest numbers provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Greyhound Lines Inc. will pay $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit over the bus line’s practice of allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to board its buses in Washington state to conduct immigration sweeps.

Faith-based groups are scrambling to keep up with fast-paced developments in the Haitian migrant crisis.

.

Federal officials have halted traffic so they can process thousands of Haitian migrants seeking asylum. The closure has made it difficult for the Texas city’s binational employees and business owners to keep normal operations going.

A federal law enforcement officer was arrested carrying a gun at Saturday’s rally at the U.S. Capitol billed to support the suspects charged in January’s insurrection, but he will not be prosecuted.

Dozens of Mexican nationals are stranded in Del Rio after U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed the port of entry due to the surge in migrants crossing the Rio Grande into the United States.

Abbott’s announcements come as thousands of migrants — mostly from Haiti — have gathered under an international bridge in Del Rio.

U.S. officials say the number of migrant families they encountered at the border in June increased by 25% from the previous month even as summer temperatures rise in the deserts and mountain terrain of the southwestern borderlands.

A Laredo man who attempted to cross the Mexico-Texas border with drugs inside his “lunch” last year was recently sentenced to prison after pleading guilty, according to the Department of Justice.

Three thousand pairs of false eyelashes have been seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents after officials determined they were illegally imported from China to New Orleans.

An increasing number of American citizens have been apprehended as they have tried to smuggle illegal drugs into the U.S. since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

An increasing number of American citizens have been apprehended as they have tried to smuggle illegal drugs into the U.S. since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

A panel of experts will discuss the policy decisions that have created confusion at the border, what to expect in the coming months and possible paths to reform.

A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in Texas has pleaded guilty to illegally bringing a Mexican woman into the U.S. to work as her nanny.

A compound of tents to detain migrant children and families was evacuated for hours when struck by fierce winds in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley.

The number of unaccompanied children encountered on the U.S. border with Mexico in April eased from an all-time high a month earlier, while more adults are coming without families.

Malaysian rubber maker Top Glove says it hopes to swiftly resolve a U.S. ban on its products due to allegations of forced labor after one of its shipments was seized at a U.S. port.

The Biden administration says four families that were separated at the Mexico border during Donald Trump’s presidency will be reunited in the United States this week.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Reps. Henry Cuellar and Tony Gonzales are expected to announce a bill to address the influx of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Biden administration has struck an agreement with Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala to temporarily surge troops to their borders in an effort to reduce the tide of migration to the U.S. border.

President Joe Biden is nominating two people who criticized Trump-era immigration policies for key roles at the Department of Homeland Security.

In March, Border Patrol agents encountered more migrants in a single month than they have since 2006, according to the latest numbers provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced Tuesday that a new emergency intake site has been established in Carrizo Springs for unaccompanied child migrants.

A short, grainy video recently released by U.S. authorities captures the dangers for migrant children at the southern border.

Oscar Escamilla, acting executive officer of the U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley, said 250 to 300 kids enter daily and far fewer leave. Border Patrol agents asked them if they had a contact in the U.S. and allowed the child to call that person. The Border Patrol is apprehending far more children daily than Health and Human Services is placing with U.S. sponsors, leading to a severe backlog in the system. The Border Patrol generally is not supposed to detain children for more than three days, but Health and Human Services lacks space. More than 2,000 kids have been at the Donna facility for more than 72 hours, including 39 for more than 15 days.

UVALDE, Texas – Like the rest of the southern border, the U.S. Border Patrol Del Rio Sector is also seeing an increase of migrants crossing the border. Some Uvalde residents are voicing concerns and say migrants have caused property damage. Think about the guys that are on the border,” Sewell said. “I have some encounter with either the Border Patrol or illegal traffic at least four times a week, if not 10 times a week,” Sewell said. In the last fiscal year, which ended in February, Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended 6,438 families and 2,410 unaccompanied children.

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)HARLINGEN, Texas – Elmer Maldonado spent a week in immigration custody with his 1-year-old son after crossing the Rio Grande through Texas to request asylum. The Associated Press has not been allowed in any of the Border Patrol facilities. Journalists are often limited by authorities even when going the banks of the Rio Grande to witness the process and talk to immigrants. “As a parent, as a human being, you want to make sure (migrant children) are cared for. She was released after only a day in custody and received a small package from Border Patrol officers before she was dropped off at a coronavirus-testing facility in McAllen.

The Biden administration is facing growing questions about why it wasn't more prepared for an influx of migrants at the southern border. Since Biden’s inauguration, the U.S. has seen a dramatic spike in the number of people encountered by border officials. But Isacson added that the bottleneck was also affected by the lack of cooperation by the Trump administration with the Biden transition. AdThe Biden administration announced on Feb. 2 it would no longer uphold the Trump administration policy of automatically deporting unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. The president and other administration officials in recent days have stepped up efforts to urge migrants not to come.