Personal Observation of Illegals at Mexican Border, May 2019

[TBoneTX 45,497]

The following is purely personal observation, so there's no link to anything.

 

On the Tues.-Wed. after Memorial Day, I went to one of my favorite Mexican border towns, traditionally safe and very popular among "winter Texans," for my semiannual doctor/dentist/pharmacy/shopping visit.  It's Nuevo Progreso.  Look on a map of south Texas, put fingers on McAllen & Harlingen, move them to the center (Weslaco), and drop down south.  The typical way for remote visitors to get there is to fly into either larger Texas city, rent a car, drive ~23 miles, and either park on the U.S. side/walk in (~310 paces) or drive in and park in Mexico.  The town begins at the very end of the footbridge.

 

When weather is cooler and flight schedules are favorable, I've flown down on the earliest morning flight and back home on the latest evening flight.  Otherwise, I fly down early, drop my suitcases at my U.S. motel, immediately enter Mexico, spend the day there, come out, sleep overnight in the U.S., and return home the next day.

 

A buddy and his pal had just been there on the prior Saturday, and he reported as follows:

     "I'm glad to get my teeth cleaned because I'm afraid this luxury of going to Progreso is going to change drastically.  It is now $1 to cross the gate into Progreso.  We got there at 10 am and both of us got right in.  On the way back there were many Central Americans at the border trying to get in.  They were blocking the streets and protesting.  All their garbage was strewn around and we had to negotiate around it.  We waited 2.5 hours at inspection/immigration.  Those who were trying to cross by vehicle had to wait far longer.  Each car would spend 5 minutes at the checkpoint and only 1 line was open.  The news is quickly going around to avoid going to Progreso.  I'm afraid that this is going to hurt business there."

 

I pressed for more and got this:

     "We arrived at inspection station going into United States at around 2 p.m.  The line had formed all the way to the top of the bridge.  Don't even think about driving across!  You will regret it.  The Hondurans / illegals have more rights than we do.  They are trying to get into the United States and they eventually will.
     "My recommendation is to get to Progreso as early as possible and leave as soon as possible.  I think business there has suffered already.  There was not nearly as many people there as I usually see."

 

I pressed for more and got this:

     "We went on Saturday.  Like I said, the place was not busy at all.  The clerk at the front desk at the hotel we were staying warned us about the long wait times to get across.  Other people had complained about the excessively long times.  But protesters mainly affected those who were walking across.  The protesters were clamoring around and demanding to be let into the U.S.  As I mentioned, they only have one line of cars going through and they take about 5 minutes to check each car.  Cars were lined up 4 blocks from the border.

     "CBP has 2 checkpoints now.  The first checkpoint is set up in the middle of the bridge and this is where the political asylum-seekers were clamoring around.  From the looks of them, they were very bad people. The majority were men in their 20s and 30s.  Just pedestrians have to stop there and present their passport.  CBP is trying to prevent the asylum-seekers from reaching the main port.  It still is much quicker to walk across than to drive.

     "I imagine the businesses in Progreso are very concerned about this.  The bad news has already spread and people are not going across like in the past."

 

Given the above, I was apprehensive and intrigued.

 

I ignored my buddy's caution and drove across.  The vehicular return line was already quite long at 10:45a.  The town was quite busy with gringos, especially for a Tuesday.  I was directed by the usual local helpers to a parking space.

 

I did my usual round of bloodwork at an analysis laboratory, doctor visit, haircut, dentist visits, pharmacy purchases, and limited other shopping.  None of the professionals or merchants appeared concerned in the slightest, and those of whom I inquired said that it had been a very good winter indeed, financially.  No one mentioned disruption by illegals.

 

At 4p, I figured that I'd better get my errands done before the town closed at 6p.  I went into a little grocery store on a side street and encountered 2 prostitutes, the first that I'd ever seen in Progreso since my first visit in 2005.  I chatted briefly with them, politely declining further interaction because they weren't blondes.  (They weren't mad.)  I took their presence as yet another indication of a healthy local economy.  At 5p, I noted that the vehicular return line into the U.S. was quite long, so I killed more time.

 

At 6p, I figured that the car line was probably shorter, so I drove to the back of it.  Wrong!  It was 4 blocks long.  It often seemed to move at the rate of 5 min/car that my buddy had suggested, but sometimes it was faster.  However, it came to a dead stop when I was a third of the way up the bridge (still on the Mexican side).

I saw a couple of dozen well-dressed, well-groomed yuppie types, 50/50 male/female, ages 20s-30s, sitting on the shady southbound fence railing on the Mexican side.  They were wearing designer clothing, lounging relaxedly, and talking on cell phones like they were in Starbucks.  I saw no children.  Some were light-skinned and blonde.  I wondered whether these were the illegals and concluded that they must be, but I couldn't guess where they were from.  One shouted at me in Spanish, "How much did your car cost?"  I managed to reply that it wasn't my car (a rental).

After an unprecedented 97 minutes in line, I reached the CBP booth and said, "Finally made it!"  The agent smiled slightly, asked the usual questions, had me pop the (empty) trunk, and admitted me.  Before I left, I gestured backward and said, "Hey, are those the illegals?!"  Him: "Yeah."  Me: "But they don't look deprived!"  Him: "They're not, but they'll all eventually get in."  Me [spontaneously]: "[censored] illegitimate male children."  Him: "Yeah."  Me: "Actually, the even bigger illegitimate male children are Congress and the Federal judges."  Him (nodding vigorously): "Yeah."  Me: "God bless you and your colleagues."  Him (smiling): "Thank you very much."  By the way, there were 2 car lanes open, but I don't know for how long that had been.

 

On Wed., awakening early at my U.S. motel enabled me to return to Progreso for a quick follow-up with the dentist and to buy a forgotten pharmaceutical item.  This time, I parked in the U.S. lot and walked across for the rip-off $1 (used to be .25).  I entered Progreso shortly after 8a.  My dentist wasn't open yet, but I got to see the town wake up.  The natives were friendly and seemed motivated to have a good day.  At 8:35, the dental office opened.  I then visited a pharmacy for my purchase and walked back toward POE.

At the base of the bridge, approximately 4 dozen illegals -- the same group that I'd observed on Tues. eve, plus others -- were standing in a ring, being counseled intensely by a heavily tattooed guy who was gesturing like Beeto O'Rourke.  I noted cell phones being charged on power strips, and new Puma backpacks, new Coleman coolers, new air mattresses, etc..  Except for personal possessions, the sidewalk was clear.  Pizza boxes were in the trash.  I saw only 3 children; they seemed associated with a couple of Central American-looking adults who were not congregating with the main group of mostly fair-skinned illegals.  Two CBP agents were indeed checking passports at mid-bridge.

I was the only one at the CBP office (9a).  The good-natured agent asked perfunctory questions.  In response to my query, he said that most of the illegals whom I'd seen were Cubans, of all people, and that they had money.  (This explained the new possessions and the question about my rental car's price.)  He agreed that they were jumping the immigration line and would probably all get in.  He was interested to hear that Mrs. T-B. had entered on a K-1, and he asked how long the process took.  I told him about how long, including our hosing at the [censored] Guayaquil consulate, which he was very interested to hear.  Just then, other gringos came up behind in line, so I said, "God bless you and your colleagues," and we broke off the chat.

My observations are that the situation with the illegals at Progreso is probably far different than at other ports, such as El Paso (2,200 illegals admitted/apprehended during the third week of May alone).  In addition, I observed that the Mexican side in Progreso was healthily populated with gringos, and the locals whom I'd asked said that business was superb and had been so all winter.  I told my buddy my conclusion:  the place is as safe as ever; it's best to visit on a weekday, and it's best to leave as early as possible, although this last might not make that big a difference.  However, sadly, my one-day trips of down in morning/back in evening are almost certainly over, given that traffic.

 

While in the border area, I wanted to drive 75 minutes northwest to Rio Grande City, where the CBP port has reportedly set up a tent in its parking lot to house ~500 illegals (allegedly Central Americans).  However, I wasn't able to do this.  It certainly would have added some perspective.

 

So what's our reaction to the above?
 

[Boiler 45,657]

Thank you for taking the time to write the above.

 

It will be interesting to see how this pans out, my first thought is that it can not be considered in abstraction. You could argue that this by itself is containable, well would have no impact structurally, with everything else going on?, not so sure.

 

You can see what a comparable situation has done to the EU, yet again one factor but not an unimportant one.

 

Basically the US has to decide what it wants to do, as do other Countries, I remember a quote some time ago that the US Constitution is not a suicide pact, Dems have certainly said that it is a working document, well that goes for many other policies. Asylum being an obvious one, this has been going on for a very long time.

 

Not exactly uncommon in human history, but I can think of no other time when societies have welcomed their on demise.

 

Most people do not get that focused individually until it hits them, so e prepared for a major change next time the the economy tanks.

 

Having said all this how can you have a stable system where there is such a massive discrepancy in the economy over a short distance, people will move, not just internally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bird&bear 43]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and observations. I've never been to the physical border myself, so this was an interesting read. 

 

Forgive my ignorance, but on what grounds would people waiting around the border like that be granted entry? Both officers you spoke to said that they'd all eventually "get in", but why? Wouldn't they need to show evidence of needing asylum/being a refugee, and be vetted like everyone else? I just find it so frustrating that my husband and I (and everyone else applying for CR-1) need to be apart for a year or more just waiting in the "queue," basically, to be processed.  Nobody likes queue jumpers. 😑

[Boiler 45,657]

Any asylum case would be years away and be held in front of an Immigration Judge, what evidence do you expect?

[bird&bear 43]

2 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Any asylum case would be years away and be held in front of an Immigration Judge, what evidence do you expect?

I don't know, which is why I asked--apologies if I'm misunderstanding the situation. I'm just trying to figure out what the officers meant by "get in eventually." Are the people described in the post not applying for asylum? (I had assumed that they were.) If they are not seeking asylum, then on what grounds are they granted entry? 

[Boiler 45,657]

At the Border they can only process so many initial applications a day so there is a queue.

[bird&bear 43]

Gotcha. That makes sense--thanks for explaining. 

[Boiler 45,657]

WASHINGTON — More than 1,000 migrants were apprehended after illegally crossing the border near El Paso, Texas, early Wednesday morning, according to two U.S. officials and a document obtained by NBC News.

The group of 1,036 is the largest ever encountered by the Border Patrol; the previous record of 424 was set last month.

Customs and Border Protection has noticed a trend in the number of large groups crossing the border together. In fiscal year 2018, border agents encountered 13 groups of more than 100 immigrants. Now, they have seen that same number in a single day, according to Brian Hastings, the chief law enforcement operations directorate for the U.S. Border Patrol.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/border-agents-apprehended-over-1-000-immigrants-record-round-n1011956

[Boiler 45,657]

[TBoneTX 45,497]

Cubans still get automatic asylum.

Others (Central Americans, et al.) can claim "credible fear" to be let in; their appearances in immigration court can be years away, and very few will ever show up there.  Once they're let in, it's a free pass for life.

[junkmart 320]

On 6/2/2019 at 2:23 AM, TBoneTX said:

The following is purely personal observation, so there's no link to anything.

 

On the Tues.-Wed. after Memorial Day, I went to one of my favorite Mexican border towns, traditionally safe and very popular among "winter Texans," for my semiannual doctor/dentist/pharmacy/shopping visit.  It's Nuevo Progreso.  Look on a map of south Texas, put fingers on McAllen & Harlingen, move them to the center (Weslaco), and drop down south.  The typical way for remote visitors to get there is to fly into either larger Texas city, rent a car, drive ~23 miles, and either park on the U.S. side/walk in (~310 paces) or drive in and park in Mexico.  The town begins at the very end of the footbridge.

 

When weather is cooler and flight schedules are favorable, I've flown down on the earliest morning flight and back home on the latest evening flight.  Otherwise, I fly down early, drop my suitcases at my U.S. motel, immediately enter Mexico, spend the day there, come out, sleep overnight in the U.S., and return home the next day.

 

A buddy and his pal had just been there on the prior Saturday, and he reported as follows:

     "I'm glad to get my teeth cleaned because I'm afraid this luxury of going to Progreso is going to change drastically.  It is now $1 to cross the gate into Progreso.  We got there at 10 am and both of us got right in.  On the way back there were many Central Americans at the border trying to get in.  They were blocking the streets and protesting.  All their garbage was strewn around and we had to negotiate around it.  We waited 2.5 hours at inspection/immigration.  Those who were trying to cross by vehicle had to wait far longer.  Each car would spend 5 minutes at the checkpoint and only 1 line was open.  The news is quickly going around to avoid going to Progreso.  I'm afraid that this is going to hurt business there."

 

I pressed for more and got this:

     "We arrived at inspection station going into United States at around 2 p.m.  The line had formed all the way to the top of the bridge.  Don't even think about driving across!  You will regret it.  The Hondurans / illegals have more rights than we do.  They are trying to get into the United States and they eventually will.
     "My recommendation is to get to Progreso as early as possible and leave as soon as possible.  I think business there has suffered already.  There was not nearly as many people there as I usually see."

 

I pressed for more and got this:

     "We went on Saturday.  Like I said, the place was not busy at all.  The clerk at the front desk at the hotel we were staying warned us about the long wait times to get across.  Other people had complained about the excessively long times.  But protesters mainly affected those who were walking across.  The protesters were clamoring around and demanding to be let into the U.S.  As I mentioned, they only have one line of cars going through and they take about 5 minutes to check each car.  Cars were lined up 4 blocks from the border.

     "CBP has 2 checkpoints now.  The first checkpoint is set up in the middle of the bridge and this is where the political asylum-seekers were clamoring around.  From the looks of them, they were very bad people. The majority were men in their 20s and 30s.  Just pedestrians have to stop there and present their passport.  CBP is trying to prevent the asylum-seekers from reaching the main port.  It still is much quicker to walk across than to drive.

     "I imagine the businesses in Progreso are very concerned about this.  The bad news has already spread and people are not going across like in the past."

 

Given the above, I was apprehensive and intrigued.

 

I ignored my buddy's caution and drove across.  The vehicular return line was already quite long at 10:45a.  The town was quite busy with gringos, especially for a Tuesday.  I was directed by the usual local helpers to a parking space.

 

I did my usual round of bloodwork at an analysis laboratory, doctor visit, haircut, dentist visits, pharmacy purchases, and limited other shopping.  None of the professionals or merchants appeared concerned in the slightest, and those of whom I inquired said that it had been a very good winter indeed, financially.  No one mentioned disruption by illegals.

 

At 4p, I figured that I'd better get my errands done before the town closed at 6p.  I went into a little grocery store on a side street and encountered 2 prostitutes, the first that I'd ever seen in Progreso since my first visit in 2005.  I chatted briefly with them, politely declining further interaction because they weren't blondes.  (They weren't mad.)  I took their presence as yet another indication of a healthy local economy.  At 5p, I noted that the vehicular return line into the U.S. was quite long, so I killed more time.

 

At 6p, I figured that the car line was probably shorter, so I drove to the back of it.  Wrong!  It was 4 blocks long.  It often seemed to move at the rate of 5 min/car that my buddy had suggested, but sometimes it was faster.  However, it came to a dead stop when I was a third of the way up the bridge (still on the Mexican side).

I saw a couple of dozen well-dressed, well-groomed yuppie types, 50/50 male/female, ages 20s-30s, sitting on the shady southbound fence railing on the Mexican side.  They were wearing designer clothing, lounging relaxedly, and talking on cell phones like they were in Starbucks.  I saw no children.  Some were light-skinned and blonde.  I wondered whether these were the illegals and concluded that they must be, but I couldn't guess where they were from.  One shouted at me in Spanish, "How much did your car cost?"  I managed to reply that it wasn't my car (a rental).

After an unprecedented 97 minutes in line, I reached the CBP booth and said, "Finally made it!"  The agent smiled slightly, asked the usual questions, had me pop the (empty) trunk, and admitted me.  Before I left, I gestured backward and said, "Hey, are those the illegals?!"  Him: "Yeah."  Me: "But they don't look deprived!"  Him: "They're not, but they'll all eventually get in."  Me [spontaneously]: "[censored] illegitimate male children."  Him: "Yeah."  Me: "Actually, the even bigger illegitimate male children are Congress and the Federal judges."  Him (nodding vigorously): "Yeah."  Me: "God bless you and your colleagues."  Him (smiling): "Thank you very much."  By the way, there were 2 car lanes open, but I don't know for how long that had been.

 

On Wed., awakening early at my U.S. motel enabled me to return to Progreso for a quick follow-up with the dentist and to buy a forgotten pharmaceutical item.  This time, I parked in the U.S. lot and walked across for the rip-off $1 (used to be .25).  I entered Progreso shortly after 8a.  My dentist wasn't open yet, but I got to see the town wake up.  The natives were friendly and seemed motivated to have a good day.  At 8:35, the dental office opened.  I then visited a pharmacy for my purchase and walked back toward POE.

At the base of the bridge, approximately 4 dozen illegals -- the same group that I'd observed on Tues. eve, plus others -- were standing in a ring, being counseled intensely by a heavily tattooed guy who was gesturing like Beeto O'Rourke.  I noted cell phones being charged on power strips, and new Puma backpacks, new Coleman coolers, new air mattresses, etc..  Except for personal possessions, the sidewalk was clear.  Pizza boxes were in the trash.  I saw only 3 children; they seemed associated with a couple of Central American-looking adults who were not congregating with the main group of mostly fair-skinned illegals.  Two CBP agents were indeed checking passports at mid-bridge.

I was the only one at the CBP office (9a).  The good-natured agent asked perfunctory questions.  In response to my query, he said that most of the illegals whom I'd seen were Cubans, of all people, and that they had money.  (This explained the new possessions and the question about my rental car's price.)  He agreed that they were jumping the immigration line and would probably all get in.  He was interested to hear that Mrs. T-B. had entered on a K-1, and he asked how long the process took.  I told him about how long, including our hosing at the [censored] Guayaquil consulate, which he was very interested to hear.  Just then, other gringos came up behind in line, so I said, "God bless you and your colleagues," and we broke off the chat.

My observations are that the situation with the illegals at Progreso is probably far different than at other ports, such as El Paso (2,200 illegals admitted/apprehended during the third week of May alone).  In addition, I observed that the Mexican side in Progreso was healthily populated with gringos, and the locals whom I'd asked said that business was superb and had been so all winter.  I told my buddy my conclusion:  the place is as safe as ever; it's best to visit on a weekday, and it's best to leave as early as possible, although this last might not make that big a difference.  However, sadly, my one-day trips of down in morning/back in evening are almost certainly over, given that traffic.

 

While in the border area, I wanted to drive 75 minutes northwest to Rio Grande City, where the CBP port has reportedly set up a tent in its parking lot to house ~500 illegals (allegedly Central Americans).  However, I wasn't able to do this.  It certainly would have added some perspective.

 

So what's our reaction to the above?
 

My reaction is that these are asylum seekers, not illegals. I think that CPB needs to put resources back at the bridges to process regular visitors and asylum seekers much faster. I don't like waiting in lines either, but at least I'm in an air conditioned car, and get to return to my safe, air conditioned home.

[Boiler 45,657]

19 minutes ago, junkmart said:

My reaction is that these are asylum seekers, not illegals. I think that CPB needs to put resources back at the bridges to process regular visitors and asylum seekers much faster. I don't like waiting in lines either, but at least I'm in an air conditioned car, and get to return to my safe, air conditioned home.

Nobody is denying that they are asylum seekers, it is the obvious way to go.

 

They have been told how the system works and you just need to ask for asylum.

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-border-mexico-immigration-africa-trump-congo-angola-a8948241.html

 

Hundreds of African migrants have been arrested in Texas after a “dramatic rise” in arrivals at the southern US border, according to patrol agents.

More from 500 people from African countries were detained near the frontier city of Del Rio in the past week, said US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which warned of a “humanitarian crisis”.

 

Obviously there is no crisis, does beg the question what processing means.

[TBoneTX 45,497]

1 hour ago, junkmart said:

CPB needs to put resources back at the bridges to process regular visitors

Fully agreed.

Where do you cross -- Reynosa, Pharr, Anzalduas?

Is anybody lined up trying to get in?

Where are they from, do you think (if you don't know)?

Curious.

[junkmart 320]

2 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

Fully agreed.

Where do you cross -- Reynosa, Pharr, Anzalduas?

Is anybody lined up trying to get in?

Where are they from, do you think (if you don't know)?

Curious.

The last time I crossed (I’m the USC) was in progreso to visit the dentist. This was around February 2019 I think. When I crossed, the line of cars was very long, but multiple lanes were still open at that time. The pedestrian line was not long at all, but the agents positioned at the middle of the bridge were checking papers and turning some people around. (This is what triggers me, I feel people requesting asylum should be allowed in and processed, but realize that capacity is maxed out) I don’t know what their statuses were, or where they were from, but they did not look like winter Texans or vacationers. I’m glad that the bridge traffic does not seem to be affecting businesses there.

 

I have a coworker from Matamoros. She says the lines there are really long, and has spent up to four hours in line when she goes on weekends. 

 

Friends from Reynosa are avoiding coming to the valley unless necessary due to the lines.

 

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

10 hours ago, junkmart said:

My reaction is that these are asylum seekers, not illegals. I think that CPB needs to put resources back at the bridges to process regular visitors and asylum seekers much faster. I don't like waiting in lines either, but at least I'm in an air conditioned car, and get to return to my safe, air conditioned home.

You are correct that they are asylum seekers but the vast majority won't show up for their court dates at all. Then get sentenced to removal in absentia which when they are caught we will get some sob story on why they came here and didn't go to their court date.