U.S. Customs and Border Protection Issues Warning about Scam Targeting Families
Kens5.com reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have issued a warning regarding a scam that targets Hispanic families in Texas. Scammers contact these families by phone and claim to be a long-lost relative, sometimes using the name of an actual relative, and state that they are being detained in Customs at Bush Airport. They claim to be with Customs and Border Protection or sometime with a representing attorney, then they ask for $1,000 to $1,500 in order to be allowed into the country. Some scammers also post fake pet ads online in order to con victims out of “Customs” fees.
Bush Airport officials say the number of victims is so far relatively small. They advise that anyone who falls victim to this scam immediately contacts the police, and to always make sure you are wiring funds to a familiar.
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After A Years-Long Record Slowdown, Border Crossing Arrests Went Up In 2012
FoxNews Latino reports that approximately 420,000 arrests related to border crossing incidents occurred last year—a 15% increase over the previous year. Chief Michael Fisher stated that the arrests account for about 320,000 to 330,000 different people; some are repeat offenders. Fisher said much of the increase is sue to people from countries other than Mexico attempting to cross the southern border, with a noted increase in activity in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/11/01/border-patrol-made-about-420000-arrests-lastyear/
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Biden: Feds Easing Panamanians’ Entry into U.S.
The Washington Times reports that Panama will be the newest member of the U.S. Global Entry program, which allows travelers to avoid long immigration lines in the U.S. via prescreening in their country of origin. Vice President Joe Biden met with Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli to announce the plan. Biden stated that the easing of immigration policies between Panama and the U.S. is good for trade, tourism and the relationship between the two countries. He went on to name immigration reform as the current “priority” for the Obama administration.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/19/vice-president-joe-biden-us-easingpanamanians-ent/
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