U.S. vehicles confiscated By VICTOR MORALES, Staff Writer
Sunday, March 30, 2008 12:57 AM PDT
JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTO
Confiscated cars, many with California license plates, fill a federal lot in Mexicali.
MEXICALI Failure to prove U.S. citizenship or legal residency is the most common violation that results in vehicle seizures by Mexican authorities at the Mexicali port of entry, said a local high-ranking Mexican federal official.
Mexican nationals who don’t hold legal residency in the U.S. and are at the wheel of U.S.-registered cars that cross into Mexico at the Mexicali border will result in “automatic” confiscation if detected, said Gerardo Herrera, the port director for the Mexicali port of entry.
“They will lose that car and that’s it,” Herrera said.
In Mexico, only U.S. citizens, legal residents or Mexican nationals who can prove legal employment in the U.S. for more than one year are allowed to drive a U.S.-registered vehicle. A fine worth 50 percent of the vehicle’s value is also imposed, Herrera said.
The violation of this law occurs periodically but steadily at both of Mexicali’s land ports, Herrera said.
Imperial Valley residents are especially susceptible to being injured by the violation as it shares a close-knit familial relationship with Mexicali. Many residents regularly gather on both sides of the border for social and familial reasons and are more likely to allow their non-citizen family members or friends drive their cars.
In 2000 Calexico resident and U.S. citizen Karla Gomez Rodriquez allowed her husband, a non-citizen with no residency privileges, to drive her 1992 Volkswagen Golf across the border to visit family in Mexicali. He was inspected by Mexican customs officials at the border and the car was seized.
“We didn’t know about it. My husband doesn’t drive any of my cars across the border anymore,” she said.
More recently, Mexican customs officials seized the car of a Calexico man in December 2007 and charged him with the violation. The man, 22-year-old Jordi Faus, claims to be a U.S. citizen. The car he was driving, a 2000 Lincoln LS, was registered to his mother. It remains in the custody of the Mexican customs agency in a downtown Mexicali lot after Faus appealed to Mexican and U.S. officials.
Hundreds of cars seized by Mexican customs officials are parked in the federal-owned lot. Many, if not most, bear California plates. Herrera said he does not keep statistics on how many are from the U.S., but that the cars in the lot are from both Mexico and the U.S. seized for various customs violations.
Herrera said many of the cars are kept for up to three years before being destroyed or sold until cases get resolved.
Some are high-end vehicles with California plates. An M-Class Mercedes Benz SUV, Ford Expedition and Nissan Titan sat at the lot last week.
Charles Smith, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tijuana, the closest to Mexicali, said complaints by U.S. citizens of vehicle seizures carried out under the law is not common because such incidents typically involve non-citizens caught driving and who must appeal to Mexican officials. The U.S. Embassy assists only U.S. citizens.
" Bigern: wrote: "Do I kill the chicken if the eggs are poison?" I do not know what that means. Sorry to sound like such a "dee dee dee" (ignormous) but that line went right over my head like a lear jet! Its getting late, and my brain is still wondering what it means. HELP! I love learning new sayings. I recently heard someone say, "He flew too close to the sun with wings of glass." I had to go looking it up online, so...I am off checking out the chicken line. "
cpalomino23 wrote on Mar 30, 2008 8:25 PM:
" AN OLD MAN WHO WORKED IN IRRIGATION IN NILAND FELL ASLEEP ON THE WHEEL AND TURNED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME HEAD ON! 65MPH. THE HIGHWAY PATROL CAME, AMBULANCE, TOOK HIM, LONG STORY SHORT, HE DIDN'T HAVE INSURANCE AND IT WAS HIS FAULT! LUCKILY I HAD UNINSURED MOTORISTS ALONG WITH MY LIABILITY AND THANK YOU UNITRIN INSURANCE, THEY HELPED ME OUT ALOT! BUT I AGREE WITH THEY DRIVE ON OUR GROUNDS, THEY SHOULD HAVE INSURANCE TOO! "
ljbt wrote on Mar 30, 2008 7:33 PM:
" Just so you know when a Mexican plated vehicle enters the US and it's tags are expired, the vehicle can be towed and is usually towed. The Mexican drivers don't like the fact that the US is enforcing that law, because in Mexico they can bribe thier way out of the situation. The vehilce is not kept for 3 years but they are forced to at least get thier vehicles registered. They think we Americans in the US are stupid, but the yellow plates with green numbers are NO GOOD. Duh! "
marygb wrote on Mar 30, 2008 7:11 PM:
" I actually met with the California Highway Patrol,State Commissioner D.O. "Spike" Helmick about the issue of drivers on our highways without insurance, smog requirments, registration and chp not knowing how long they are in the country if "just for a visit." or "w/work visa." While the rest of us are "required by law" to maintain all of the necessary requirement to operate a vehicle. (Spike is no longer in office) He probably did one of those "toss in the trash" and never revisited the concern again. Anyone have any thoughts on that? Ideas? Suggestions? Could be a law introduced that we as bloggers design. It can be done. Should the laws apply to all drivers, not just us? Try letting your registration expire, try not have your smog check up to date, try not having liability insurance and see what happens. We all know what happens. CA DMV needs to address this issue and treat everyone the same that drives on California roads!! "
marygb wrote on Mar 30, 2008 6:52 PM:
" Unfortunately U-Haul corporate offices may not be reading the IV Press, so they can see where their vehicle ended up at. But, makes me wonder how many more missing U-Hauls or other rented trucks end up in that empound. Drivers w/someone else's ID may never be found! Meanwhile, they drive their vehicles on US soil, without registrations, smog,may without insurance and unlicensed to drive in many cases. While the rest of us, have to have all of the above to drive! If not, guess what we get cited. If our registration is past due, a unit will pull you over and cite you. How does a member of law-enforcement enforcing that law know how long these other drivers are in the country? What is their requirement to drive on U.S. soil? I was hit by an unlicensed, illegal and guess what I was told to exchange all my information because the officer would not respond to "private Property" only to public roads. Why would anyone in their right mind exchange all of their personal information with an illegal? That illegal would have your home address, CA driver's license, vehicle plates, city, zip the works, insurance info. NO
WAY! "
apuestas5 wrote on Mar 30, 2008 12:59 PM:
" Wow, "My husband (non-resident) doesn't drive "any" of my cars anymore"? What is this, is her husband an illegal alien who lives here, since he's not allowed to drive any of her cars anymore or is she a smuggler who has lots of cars? Nice interview Victor, I really feel for that "victim" (NOT),
So tell us Victor, what about the U-Haul truck? Ask the "Comandante" what there were going to do with the "rental" vehicle, since the owner obviously has no culpabilty (look it up Vic), maybe you should have interviewed U-Haul, instead of someone harboring an illegal alien. "
turnabout wrote on Mar 30, 2008 12:37 PM:
" Hey people...this problem can be solved by keeping your butts outta Mexico. Makes no sense to drive one's vehicle across that border...doing so is just inviting trouble. "
mmarteen wrote on Mar 30, 2008 11:17 AM:
" It's amazing...
The city of Calexico whines when anything happens that "might" affect their "cross-border" commerce, but I didn't see anything in this article addressing how THEY are doing anything with Mexico to address this. Do I think Calexico WILL put in their 2 cents worth note the sarcastic tone)... Duh... NO!
With the billions illegal aliens are sending back to Mexico on earning from the U.S., the Mexican authorities appear to want a bit more. At least they're not sticking out their hands waiting for the handout, they're just taking it.
IV Press - thanx for filling us in, but how 'bout fleshing this article out a little, eh? "
localmotion13 wrote on Mar 30, 2008 11:10 AM:
" can't own land in mexico unless you're a mexican citizen, can't go to school in mexico if your not a legal citizen, you cant work in mexico if your not a mexican citizen can't get emergency medical aid in mexico if your not a citizen you are not allowed to leave unless you pay up front. so why does the us allow you to do all of that because we are a free country.
remember what u.s.a means and rememeber our soldiers who are fighting for your rights. "
agzero75@hotmail.com wrote on Mar 30, 2008 10:33 AM:
" Maybe we should seize their vehicles and sell them to pay for all the illegals in the U.S. Sure wish mexico could or would stop all the illegals and pound them like they cars. Buy the mexican flag and fly it upside down. "
4oshun12 wrote on Mar 30, 2008 9:57 AM:
" Do I kill the chicken if the eggs are poison? Thats deep "
bigern wrote on Mar 30, 2008 8:21 AM:
" I always say like a good neighbor they always take care of us in Mexico, maybe if no one goes there they lose alot more money and ease up on the dumb stuff and really fight curruption. They blame the US on the drug problem, do I kill the chicken if the eggs are poison? hhhhmm answer that question. "
dace35 wrote on Mar 30, 2008 7:49 AM:
" marygb I BACK YOU UP MAYBE YOU SHOULD'VE BEEN THE REPOTER IN THIS STORY??MAYBE VICTOR WAS AFRAID TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WORLD FAMOUS "EL CORRALON" WHERE CARS GO IN NEW AND ARE ALL OF A SUDDEN SWALLOWED BY THE NEW RIVER MYTH! "
zanelisk wrote on Mar 30, 2008 7:44 AM:
" take a cab. "
marygb wrote on Mar 30, 2008 6:52 AM:
" Kept until cases are resolved? Kept for up to 3 years, sold or destroyed? I wish Victor of IV Press would have ask for an example of a case resolved. Sold to who? How? Where does the money for vehicles sold go to? Are any of these agents allowed to bid on these vehicles? If so, what is the requirement and is paper on those particular transactions traced? Do they have a list of these vehicles, dates, times of confiscations? Are any of these agents confication driving beemers/benzes,rovers? Sheesh, DMV in California would be chasing reg fees, owners, sale originals ect ect. "
dace35 wrote on Mar 30, 2008 6:20 AM:
" IT DOESN'T MATTER,EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE ALL THE LEGAL DOCUMENTATION FOR YOUR VEHICLE IF THEY LIKE IT THEY WILL TAKE IT!!! THEY ARE CORRUPT AND VERY MONEY HUNGRY.IN MEXICO EVEN IF YOU HAVE AN EDUCATION DEGREE MOST JOBS DON'T PAY,YOU HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN ORGANIZED CRIME ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.MI RAZA EN MEXICO SON UNA BOLA DE RATAS QUE QUIEREN PURAS MORDIDAS!!! "
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marygb wrote on Mar 30, 2008 9:00 PM: