I don't kid myself. There could be a thousand foot tall monument in front of the Hacienda building extolling the virtues if a law. But if Banjercito is informed by Aduana at a crossing that "things are going to be a certain way" then things will toe that line. Take Garita 2 at Tijuana in June 1997 for instance. No valid passport no FMT period. The jefe migra got a stiff bung and demanded passports. It was outrageous. I was there eyeball-to-eyeball with the jefe and he pointed to a wet paint sign on the wall. I had a passport but it took sonething like 3 weeks to straighten the jerk out. And yes the story made the San Diego Union Tribune.
When I run into a snag I politely with smile ask to see the Aduana chief. Shake hands. Calmly explain my perdicament. Clear cut black flag denials because of uncleared exits are not negotiable. But gray areas like wether a converted bus qualifies as an eligible 10 year vehicle is negotiable. Faced with a denial the age old: "Is there no way that this can be arranged?" still is valid. It's your call. Screaming and cursing leads to anger and 3 or 4 phone calls closes a thousand miles of border crossings. One time a Coca Cola and USA donuts closed the deal. He left muttering how superior Krispy Kreme Donuts are to Mexican hocky pucks.
