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Game Wardens Step Up Inspections at Border Crossing  

The Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge at the Laredo Port of Entry (POE) teems with a steady influx of passenger vehicles, buses and freight. The air is thick with the sounds of traffic and conversations of bustling crowds returning to their homes in the United States.

It’s one of the busiest international crossings along the United States-Mexico border, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists focus their shifts on inspecting automobiles and luggage for any product that is prohibited to cross into the United States. Seeded fruits, raw meat and plants are among the most common offenders. In addition to federal law, the State of Texas has its own list of prohibited aquatic and wildlife products. 

In the past, customs officials would call game wardens when they noticed a state code violation. In 2018, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department began integrating Texas game wardens into certain ports of entry to handle state code enforcement, first in the Rio Grande Valley and then in Laredo. The Laredo program wrapped up a successful two years of patrols in March, and will resume this summer.

“We are concerned about aquatic resources like oysters and shrimp entering the United States because our inspections at local restaurants and meat markets yielded a lot of untraceable food products,” says Sgt. Arnold Pinales, who oversees Texas game wardens at the Laredo Port of Entry. “Without documentation that these items were harvested, sanitized and handled properly, they pose a significant risk to the health and well-being of the citizens of Texas.”

Once wardens assumed the practical side of operations at the international bridges, they discovered another gap in services: Documentation went largely unchecked for vehicles transferring live deer and deer meat across the border. With appropriate oversight at inspection stations, wardens prevent the spread of deer-related diseases and parasites.

While wardens will occasionally issue tickets for extreme violations, most of their interactions are simply confiscating prohibited goods and educating travelers on what is allowed.

“Our involvement at the POE does not generate funding through ticketing,” says Texas Game Warden Roper Smith. “We are just spreading the word and seeking compliance. The only way to do that is through word of mouth from our daily interactions on the border.”

Now that Texas game wardens will be a fixture at Texas ports of entry, bi-national travelers can expect more robust inspection protocol and a safer, healthier environment on both sides of the border. The success of the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo programs is promising, says Sgt. Pinales.

“As of right now, plans are to continue POE enforcement efforts and expand in any way possible,” he says.