HARLINGEN, Texas (Border Report) — Stories about the new border wall, Mexican cartels, and drug and weapons smuggling across the Southwest border were among the most popular and most-read on Border Report in 2023.
Here are the Top 10 stories for Border Report in 2023:
No. 10 – New Mexico assault weapons ban
A bill to ban assault weapons in Mexico passed a committee in the New Mexico House of Representatives in February, but then the legislation went no further.
The measure was backed by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who earlier this month was still pushing measure to limit rapid-fire weapons in her state.
No. 9 – AK-47s found in trunk at border crossing
Dozens of AK-47’s, long rifles and caliber handguns and magazines were found by federal officials in the bed of an F-150 truck on Jan. 31 that was attempting to cross the border south from Hidalgo, Texas, into Reynosa, Mexico.
The female driver was charged with unlawful transport after she was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge.
No. 8 – Taxi drivers block access to southern California port of entry
Disgruntled taxi drivers from Tijuana, Mexico, in May blocked eight lanes of traffic leading to the busy San Ysidro Port of Entry, disrupting the morning commute for many trying to cross into San Diego.
The drivers were attempting to pressure Baja California’s governor into helping them solve a work dispute with the city of Tijuana, which had told drivers they were banning fares along the heavily traveled Aguacaliente-Díaz Ordaz Boulevard.
No. 7 – 100 pounds of drugs confiscated at El Paso port in 1 hour
During a one-hour period on Oct. 13, CBP officers confiscated 101 pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine in three separate failed smuggling attempts at the Bridge of the Americas and Paso Del Norte international border crossings in El Paso, Texas.
The drugs were found in bundles hidden within multiple vehicle seats, including a vehicle with children, according to CBP.
No. 6 – New anti-climb concertina wire barrier put up in South Texas
Border Report on Dec. 21 was the first media to capture video showing Texas National Guard putting up reinforced concertina wire fencing on the border near Brownsville, Texas, as part of the state’s Operation Lone Star border security initiative.
The 12-foot-tall wire fence panels are laced with a 3-foot looping layer of concertina wire designed to prevent migrants from trying to climb it and illegally cross the Rio Grande. The section is being put up near the Gateway International Bridge and across from a migrant tent camp in Matamoros, Mexico.
No. 5 – Cartel-linked indictment after meth found in car at South Texas port of entry
A federal grand jury in October charged a man with trafficking 105 pounds of meth from Mexico inside the door and window of a Dodge Charger at the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas.
Luis Galindo Jr., was charged with illegal importation of a controlled substance and conspiring to possess and distribute a controlled substance on Oct. 14. Court documents showed Galindo told federal agents he picked up the car from a body shop for his cousin who is involved with a drug cartel.
No. 4 – Drug tunnels found leading to southern California port of entry
Two drug tunnels, including one under construction, was found by Mexican federal agents in May a mile from the San Ysidro Port of Entry leading to southern California.
One tunnel was located in a home in Tijuana, Mexico, across the border from San Diego, according to investigators.
No. 3 – Extradition of Mexican cartel boss to US
The Mexican government in August extradited an alleged Sinaloa cartel boss accused of exporting large amounts of cocaine to the United States, and who was on the DEA’s most wanted list.
Adan Salazar Zamorano, aka “Don Adan,” was transferred from a prison in Veracruz, Mexico, to the Mexico City International Airport, and was handed over to U.S. agents who flew him back to the United States, U.S. authorities said.
No. 2 -Mexican cartel force US gas tankers to dump loads in border town
Mexican drug cartel gunmen forced U.S. gas tanker drivers in October to dump their loads in a field in the border town of Matamoros, Mexico, just south of Brownsville, Texas, two South Texas congressmen announced earlier this month.
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat who represents Brownsville, said in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai the incident occurred on Oct. 16, and was followed by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Oct. 23 announcing a ban on dozens of refined petroleum and petro chemical products from the U.S., including gasoline.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, told Border Report that the temporary export ban is hurting U.S. trade and violates the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
No. 1 – Taller barriers going up in iconic southern California beach
The Department of Homeland Security this year began constructing two 30-foot-tall barriers replacing existing fencing that is much lower including the portion that runs into the ocean just south of Imperial Beach, California, on the border with Tijuana, Mexico.
Construction began in February and was met with much opposition.
Special mention
Although this story wasn’t published in 2023, this story by Border Report on the 1984 McDonald’s massacre in San Ysidro, California, also was among the most-read for the year. It was originally published in May 2022.
Happy New Year to all our readers and we hope you will continue to read Border Report in 2024!
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.