Hidalgo, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge wants to warn travelers that bringing prohibited agriculture products will result in fines being assessed, jeopardize SENTRI participation and can also lead to visa cancellations.
“We want to advise travelers that bringing in prohibited agriculture products will not only affect your pocketbook but can also have repercussions that may affect your ability to continue visiting the United States,” said Port Director Sylvia Briones, Hidalgo/Pharr/ Anzalduas Port of Entry.
prohibited agriculture items like pomegranates
will result in fines, jeopardize SENTRI
participation and can lead to visa cancelations.
CBP Office of Field Operations welcomes all travelers and we want to make the arrival process at our international bridges a seamless experience. OFO has several recommendations to include:
- Have your documents ready-use Ready Lanes for those with RFID documents
- Apply for the SENTRI program-Trusted Traveler Program (TTP)
- Declare all items-(especially agriculture products)-AVOID FINES
- Monitor wait times-use border crossings with shorter wait times
- Be patient-(summer vacationists seeking U.S. travel)
Bringing in undeclared prohibited agriculture products such as chorizo, apples, peaches, pomegranates, mango, avocados (with seed), plants, soil or animals, to name a few will lead to fines and/or penalties being assessed. These fines start at $300.00 and can increase up to $1,000.00. For those travelers enrolled in one of Trusted Traveler Programs, which includes SENTRI, one violation will result in your enrollment being revoked with the possibility of permanent denial back into the TTP. Also, foreign nationals can have their U.S. visas revoked if found to have violated the status of their visa by having a fine assessed for committing an agriculture violation.