Thread: Backpacks for kids taken by Mexican border authority

September 23, 2009

San Juan backpacks for kids taken by Mexican border authority

San Juan charity scrambles for new strategy to take supplies south of border

By PETER SCHELDEN
The Orange County Register
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It was supposed to be a routine Monday morning trip when Norm Kremiller drove a van filled with 225 backpacks with school supplies across the US/Mexico border Aug. 31. But that morning, all the backpacks—an estimated $3,500 worth of gifts for needy school children—were seized, along with the van itself.

He knew he was taking some risk due to Mexico's strict tariff laws, but Kremiller works for the 25-year-old local charity Children of the Americas. In the past, border authorities sometimes made them turn around, but always gave the charitable gifts back.

Now the charity seeks extra donations for school supplies and a van to carry them.

Children of the Americas was a victim of an increasingly hostile border policy said Dave Brisbin, a Trabuco Canyon resident who founded and presides over the San Juan Capistrano-based charity.

"In the last six months, they've really been tightening the border," he said. "There's a military presence now."

Brisbin says lately any vehicle that can carry many people is being stopped going into Mexico.

The charity could have bought back the impounded van, but decided it was not worth the $2,200 required by border officials.

This is not the first time COTA has run into trouble transporting food, construction materials, toys or school supplies south of the border.

In the past, COTA volunteers have helped remove toys from their boxes before being wrapped for Christmas presents. They had to be unpackaged because Mexico does not allow in any toys from China.

Mexico has always maintained strict rules determining what can and cannot come through. Travelers are limited to one pair of skis, 20 compact disks and one set of binoculars, for instance, according to Mexico travel magazine mexconnect.com.

Attempts to reach Mexican authorities and several consulate offices were unsuccessful.

The rules are the same for charities as they are for tourists, Brisbin said. Charities can receive special permits, but the process can be confusing. COTA had a special permit three years ago, but the rules have changed since then.

"They don't give us any set rules, and even when they do, a few months later it's changed," Brisbin said. "It's a moving target. We'll play the game any way they want to. It's just hard to know what that is these days."

For instance, COTA has gotten onto a list of approved charities to cross as of Oct. 1, but Brisbin is skeptical if it will matter.

"We've been told that before," he said. "So we're waiting to see."

They will attempt to cross then, since the charity has 100 more backpacks to donate.

And if that doesn't work, it could force the charity to look into securing a commercial port—a move that would be time-consuming and expensive, he said.

That's time and money that could be spent gathering donations for Mexico's needy, Brisbin said.

"It's huge," he said. "If we can't work this out one way or another, it threatens everything we do."

Contact the writer: pschelden@ocregister.com or 949-492-5128

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/mexi ... order-cota

Why are they doing this for Mexico, when there are plenty of needy kids in this country, and the last I looked, we were still part of the American continent?