Border crossers urged to stay alert
By Aileen B. Flores/ El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/14/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
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The U.S. State Department travel alert to Mexico remains in effect, and officials in El Paso are offering safety tips to people crossing into Mexico this summer.

Because of the violence fueled by a war between drug cartels along the border, the travel alert for Mexican border cities continues until Oct. 15, the State Department said.

More than 450 people have been killed in Juárez since Jan. 1 as drug cartels and law enforcement battle each other.

Even when the attacks are aimed at members of drug-trafficking organizations and Mexican police officials, the alert said, foreign visitors, including Americans, and residents, are exposed to the violence.

"The situation in northern Mexico remains very fluid. The location and timing of future armed engagements there cannot be predicted," the alert said.

As precautions, travelers to Mexico are reminded to:


Be sure to have the proper documentation (passport, birth certificate or government-issued ID) and be aware of foreign laws.

Declare all items acquired abroad.

Visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection "Know Before You Go" travel Web site at www.cbp.
gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/ to avoid fines and penalties associated with the importing of prohibited items. Brochures are also available at border ports.


Monitor

border wait times at www.cbp.gov.
Christian Servin, a University of Texas at El Paso student, used to cross the border every weekend to visit family, but since the violence in Juárez increased, he now goes once a month.

"When I go, I take certain precautions. I don't carry valuable items and I don't take cash with me," he said Friday. "At the red lights, I always pay attention to what's happening around me."

Aileen B. Flores may be reached at aflores@elpasotimes.com; 546-6362.

Bridge waits


Roger Maier, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in El Paso, said bridge waits are now less than 30 minutes, compared with two hours last summer.
I imagine some of the traffic pattern changes are the result of the economy, higher fuel prices and other factors," he said.


Monitor border wait times at www.cbp.gov.







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