Nuevo Progreso Rant

TomG2 wrote:
A group of us Singles visit Nuevo Progreso, Mexico almost ever week. It is considered the safest of the unsafe border crossings in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

When I was leaving today, the American agent first addressed me in Spanish, which I do not speak. Strike one. He asked why I visited Progreso and I told "Just being a tourist". He asked me again and got the same reply. "What did you buy" he asked although I was empty handed in a t-shirt and shorts. "One Margarita" I answered, which really set him off. He demanded to know what I purchased and was not happy with the same answer. I held up my hand with my fingers forming a circle and said, "Nada, nothing". He got bored with me and sent me on my way.

I asked a woman who witnessed this if the agent was being rude and she said, "Very".

We have the most porous border in the civilized world and this young fellow is worried about a 72 year old empty handed American with a passport coming in? Come on.

And since you have no rights at the border, IT WILL CONTINUE!
BTW this is not a Nuevo Progreso problem it is a USA problem

They are more or less prevented from doing anything about illegals, so maybe you are about the only thing left.:?

They're just like the TSA people - both of them make me feel a lot safer...........

Bill

I'm waiting to get an agent like the one featured in "No Country for Old Men"

EV2 wrote:
They are more or less prevented from doing anything about illegals, so maybe you are about the only thing left.:?

Bingo....

Just be thankful he didn't put on his rubber glove Mr. T-shirt and shorts. :B

I would like to hear the Customs Agent's side of the story as to how you spoke to him.

Keep in mind that the only requirement for a border agent is to have a GED equivalent. There is no set criteria for questions that agents ask.

Since we live in Mexico and cross to the U.S. on occasion we have more than 30 years experience. In our party there is a U.S. citizen with permanent Mexican residency and a Mexican who has worked for the U.S. government, been a Fulbright four times over, worked as a French interpreter for Mexican and U.S. dance groups in Europe four times.

Each crossing requires we take six months each of salary stubs, electric bills, phone bills, copies of the properties we own in the U.S. and Mexico. Sometimes that isn't enough and they send us back.

To show how the U.S. border agents are very similar to TSA, in less than 15 minutes we are in line for another border bridge. The agent asks no questions, and says, "go ahead and have a nice day". Or, we wait for shift changes which works too.

What we have found is that is an anglo encounters a Hispanic agent there is no issue, the same for the Mexican encountering an Anglo agent. Reversed, that's when we have issues.

Forget the rv, when we take it we can sit at the border crossing for over two hours. Questions like, Why do you live in Mexico? Why aren't you carrying cash? Last time you crossed in a smaller car, Did you just buy this one?

Forget the check points north of the border that by law, should only be 21 miles north. Some go as far as 100 miles into the U.S. Why is that an issue? Because border agents are supposed to be working the border? Why didn't they catch the illegals at the border? The whole thing is a mess.

Soon, all Americans will be required to carry a U.S. passport in the U.S. If memory serves me right, they did this in 1938 in a certain country whose leader turned the world upside down.

Sorry OP, this was supposed to be your rant :)

IDman wrote:
I would like to hear the Customs Agent's side of the story as to how you spoke to him.

Why? I have crossed at that same location dozens of times and I have reported every time that I got a rude agent. Once.

There were almost no other people in the building and he was just having some fun messing with me. Why else would he greet me in Spanish? I know better than to mess with the agents. He may have been new. He may have been trying to impress a supervisor that was monitoring him. Who knows. It was enough out of the ordinary to make notice.

We go frequently and never had a major issue. Coming back from Canada to the USA has always been more of a hassle for us.