Listening and Learning: My Experience at the U.S.-Mexico Border
Arizonans know well the unique opportunities — and challenges — that come with being a border state. There’s no doubt that trade with Mexico can be a boon for our economy, and I worked hard during my time as mayor to strengthen that relationship and create new trade-supported jobs in the wake of SB 1070. It’s common sense: Mexico is Arizona’s largest trading partner.
At the same time, a secure border is essential to our safety. It’s critical to stop the flow of illegal drugs flowing across, prevent those who shouldn’t be here from making it across, and enforce trade laws.
When I visited the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, I did so as we face a new challenge: a humanitarian crisis as asylum seekers aim to flee danger in Central America. My visit helped me continue my own education — to listen and learn from the people working there every day.
Part 1: The Economic Impact of Border Activity
A border that effectively moves people and goods between Mexico and Arizona is critical to our state’s economy.
In January 2019, Arizona exported $687 million in goods to Mexico. That same month, imports from Mexico totaled $891.05 million. Shoppers from Mexico spend more than an estimated $2 billion a year in Arizona. Mexican tourists support approximately 30,000 jobs throughout Arizona. Altogether, the two-way trade relationship between Arizona and Mexico generates more than $15 billion annually. It’s clear that we need these ports to function as efficiently and effectively as possible to keep this economic activity coming into our state’s economy.
My team and I visited Nogales, Arizona’s primary port city in terms of both volume and economic impact. The community is home to the pedestrian-only Morely Port of Entry, the DeConcini Port of Entry for pedestrians, passenger vehicles and trains, and the Mariposa Port of Entry, which serves all modes including commercial trucks.
The Mariposa Port of Entry has the capacity to make more than 4,000 truck inspections every day. In 2017, it handled more shipments of fresh fruits and vegetables than any port between the U.S. and Mexico and the third largest share of fruits and nuts.
To protect American consumers, Customs officers inspect shipments that come through the port closely to make sure they are free of harmful pests and safe to eat. Our team saw these inspection facilities up close, and even examined some of the pests that were intercepted before reaching American grocery stores.
Other intercepted shipments included counterfeit products, products that violated existing trade agreements, and products designed to hide drugs. Customs officers go through extensive training to know exactly what to look for to stop those products and bad actors at the border.
These Customs officers stop bad actors from entering the U.S. — but they also play an important role in supporting our growing import and export-based economy.
Part 2: The Need for a Strong and Safe Border
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) safeguards our borders from dangerous people and materials while enhancing our global economic competitiveness through trade and travel. Simply put, CBP is there to allow good stuff in and keep bad stuff out.
When it comes to threats at the border, I’m incredibly concerned about drug trafficking. In FY 2018, we seized 5,766 pounds of heroin and 2,135 pounds of fentanyl — numbers that are unfortunately up from past years. But it’s important to note that only 11 percent of the heroin seizures and 22 percent of the fentanyl seizures took place between the ports of entry — the overwhelming majority was stopped at ports of entry.
This is the case for nearly all drugs. Most of the drug trafficking attempts take place at the ports of entry, and thanks to sophisticated technology and trained Customs officers, much of those drugs are getting stopped and traffickers are getting caught. I got a chance to see this technology up close to learn about how they detect drugs stashed in vehicles, and even witnessed a seized $2.1 million worth of marijuana hidden in a shipment of rolled sheet metal.
But we know that the drug epidemic has hit Arizona hard — clear evidence that drugs are still making their way across the border and into our communities. The cartels are sophisticated and constantly experimenting with new ways to smuggle drugs through the ports — certainly there are many ways we haven’t yet detected. We need to equip our ports of entry with the people power and technology to stop the cartels from shipping any illegal substances across our border.
Part 3: The Humanitarian Crisis
There’s a humanitarian crisis at the border — and it’s a complex situation. Our laws and values dictate that we treat those seeking refuge humanely.
Asylum seekers from Central America are fleeing their homes out of fear and looking for legal protection from violence and persecution in their countries. There are a higher number of migrants — especially families and minors — coming to the U.S. border and immediately seeking asylum. But from there, our system is broken, and we need to fix it.
As of this week, the wait time to request asylum at the Nogales port of entry is almost three months. Just last year, asylum requests were processed the same day. Customs and Border Protection places a limit on the number of asylum seekers allowed to enter the U.S. each day and asylum seekers are “metered,” meaning they wait until they are given a place in line. Until their turn comes, these asylum seekers must wait in Mexico. It’s a major flaw: Long wait times and uncertainty can push asylum seekers to cross between ports of entry, where they can immediately request asylum to the Border Patrol officer upon apprehension.
When their turn comes, asylum-seekers are initially processed by CBP at the port. Between FY2017 and FY2018, the percentage of those presenting at the port of entry and requesting asylum nearly doubled.
All claims of credible fear at the border — whether at ports of entry or between them — are carefully examined by Asylum Officers of the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services. If deemed credible, and not all are, then that person is placed in deportation proceedings and must present their full asylum application to an immigration judge who will decide whether to grant asylum. Asylum seekers can either be held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention or be released to a sponsor in the community throughout the course of their case.
Despite the long wait times, a high percentage of asylum-seekers still follow the legal process and present their claim at the port of entry. In FY 2018, more than double the percentage of those coming to a port of entry were seeking asylum legally as compared to those illegally entering to seek asylum.
Adding resources at or near the ports of entry would help alleviate the stress on our agencies. More CBP officers would help shorten the wait time to request asylum at the port of entry and reduce an incentive for asylum-seekers to cross between ports of entry. Additional CBP resources would also allow for customs officers to stay focused on trade and commerce at the ports. More trained asylum officers would allow the credible fear process to be conducted faster. Adding judges and legal support would help people go through the system more efficiently and humanely.
Experience meeting with the Kino Border Initiative
During my visit, my team and I crossed the border through the pedestrian port into Mexico to visit with the Kino Border Initiative, a binational Catholic and Jesuit organization that provides humanitarian aid to migrants in Nogales, Sonora and focuses on education, research, and advocacy.
Through a collaborative partnership led by the Florence Project, KBI helps get migrants the legal aid they need to as they await to ask for asylum. Florence Project attorneys give “Know Your Rights” presentations to asylum seekers and inform them on what to expect once in CBP custody.
I visited KBI’s comedor — similar to a soup kitchen with some additional clothing and medical resources — as well as a women and children’s shelter. There, I heard stories from migrant women from Guatemala and Honduras about the terrible situations that caused them to flee their home country and make long, grueling journeys to the U.S. border with their children to escape harm. These women were fortunate to find this safe place to stay, as many migrant shelters are often at capacity and women and children are forced into vulnerable and risky living situations.
These women and so many more are now victims of a broken system. They are waiting in limbo, many without much hope — as they wait to present their asylum claims at the port of entry.
The crisis we face at the border is complex. My visit to Nogales — on both the U.S. and Mexican side of the border — was valuable to my own education on this issue. Congress will continue its work to fix a broken system, and my own actions will be better informed by this experience and the experiences of the people working there every day.
