CBP on lookout for cascarones, other products, during Holy Week
HIDALGO — They are an Easter tradition treasured by many in the Rio Grande Valley.
But cascarones — decorated eggs with confetti inside — could trigger federal penalties for people who do not declare them upon entering the country from Mexico, officials said.
“When they arrive, they should make that declaration to avoid penalties and perhaps seizure of the merchandise,” said Felix Garza, local spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
People crossing from Mexico are permitted to bring up to 10 clean and dry egg shells that have no confetti inside. The shells can have decorations on the outside and they must be for personal use, officials said.
Fines for not declaring prohibited agricultural items, like cascarones, can run as high as $1,000 for a personal violation and more than $250,000 for commercial import violations.
U.S. Department of Agriculture officials are concerned about exotic Newcastle disease, or END, which is caused by a virus transmitted through contaminated eggshells present in Mexico and other countries.
The virus attacks a wide number of bird species, seizing their respiratory, nervous and digestive systems, according to a CBP statement. Many birds die without developing clinical signs of the disease. The virus carries a 90 percent mortality rate.
An END outbreak in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas in 2003 cost farmers and the government more than $70 million to implement quarantines and eradicate infected flocks — the only way to eliminate the disease.
Besides cascarones, CBP will continue looking for other agricultural items prohibited from entering the U.S., including raw or cooked pork products, raw poultry, raw potatoes, oranges, pears, tejocotes (a crabapple-like fruit also known as Mexican hawthorn), sugarcane, eggs, chrysanthemums, live birds and straw.
If there’s any doubt about bringing something across, Garza said, it’s best to declare it at the border.
“If it’s prohibited and it's declared, the person has just saved himself some money,” he said.
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Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.
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AT A GLANCE:
>> Each person entering the U.S. is allowed to bring up to 10 cascarones made of clean, dry egg shells with no confetti inside. They may be decorated on the outside.
>> U.S. authorities are concerned about exotic Newcastle disease, or END, which is caused by a virus that is highly contagious to birds and is transmitted through contaminated egg shells. The virus is present in Mexico.
>> U.S. Customs and Border Protection will still be looking for other prohibited agricultural items, such as pork and raw poultry, raw potatoes, oranges and pears.
