Border Report Live

As soon as you walk into the U.S. through the San Ysidro Port of Entry, you’ll be within a mile of five tobacco and vape shops located along San Ysidro Boulevard just north of the border.
Border Report discovered most of these establishments are very private about their business operations and their products.
All five refused to speak about Mexico’s new ban on vaping and how it will potentially impact vape shops on the U.S. side of the border.
As of Jan. 17, the importation, sale, marketing, and distribution of vaping devices and e-cigarettes were ruled illegal in Mexico and can result in heavy penalties including up to eight years in prison.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-New Mexico, on Thursday signed into law a bill getting local public entities out of the business of non-violent migrant detention.
The Immigrant Safety Act (House Bill 9) calls for the termination or non-renewal of interagency contracts that facilitate the operation of detention centers such at the ones in Torrance, Cibola and Otero counties.
It also bans the use of state land for immigration detention and prohibits local police from entering into 287(g) federal agreements allowing them to perform immigration duties.

Whether federal immigration agents will unmask, identify themselves, obtain judicial warrants in certain cases and work with local authorities is up for debate on Capitol Hill.
Congressional Democrats are seeking new rules for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents following the deaths of two Americans in Minneapolis and are threatening to block funding for the Homeland Security Department.
Republican are pushing back on many of their demands.
At the same time, Republican have their own demands, including requiring proof of citizenship before Americans register to vote.

The Department of Homeland Security is heeding calls to have all of its officers wear body cameras in Minneapolis.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday on social media that her agency will require officers on the ground in Minneapolis to wear body cameras following intense scrutiny of their conduct and the deaths of two people.
According to the Associated Press, President Donald Trump said the decision was up to Noem but added that he thought it was generally good for law enforcement to wear cameras.
In this episode of Border Report Live, host Rudy Mireles breaks down the new rules for officers and what is planned for immigration officers around the nation.

A horse at an equine import quarantine facility in Florida has tested positive for New World screwworm, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.
Lab tests taken of the horse and sent to Iowa confirmed the results, the USDA said Friday.
Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared the New World screwworm a state disaster as a preemptive measure to bring attention to the dangers this insect could bring.
South Texas correspondent Sandra Sanchez talks about Abbott’s announced on the latest episode of Border Report Live.

The United States, Mexico and Canada will review their free trade agreement this summer but the dealings have already begun.
The North American trade agreement was signed in 2020 during Trump’s first term. It allows commerce to flow between the countries freely and protects the countries from the effects of tariffs.
In today’s episode of Border Report Live, correspondents Julian Resendiz and Salvador Rivera take a deep dive into the USMCA and what’s at stake for each country. Also, despite recent layoffs at U.S.-run factories in Mexico, tariffs are actually helping to keep jobs in place along the border.

During his time as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in San Diego, Neama Rahmani says he prosecuted and convicted more than a thousand cartel bosses, operatives, smugglers and money launderers.
Rahmani is one of the prosecutors responsible for taking down the once powerful Arellano-Felix Organization that terrorized the Tijuana-San Diego region for decades.
He appeared on Border Report Live and offered a rare cross-border legal perspective in regard to cartel operations, drug manufacturing and human trafficking still happening along the U.S.–Mexico border.
Rahmani discussed what it’s like to prosecute complex transnational crimes and how rhetoric and policy toward Mexico can intersect with enforcement, sovereignty, and legal accountability.

Construction firms continue to deal with fallout from immigration raids in South Texas, and industry leaders have been speaking out and sharing concerns that go beyond losing money.
Mario Guerrero, the executive director of the South Texas Builders Association, says the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have conducted numerous raids at construction sites in the region, and it’s creating fear among families.
Guerrero appeared on Border Report Live and shared video of ICE patrols captured on surveillance cameras. One video shows an unmarked vehicle speeding through a subdivision and barreling through a construction site before workers are seen running away.
Guerrero said he worries that ICE agents are being reckless when they arrive at work sites without prior notice. He said children could be playing outside and get hurt or worse.