Agriculture specialist Claudia Alcarraz inspects Juan Castillo’s suitcase that arrived through the John F. Kennedy airport from the Dominican Republic.
Alcarraz is a frontline worker for the US Customs and Border Protection Agency.
“We are here as frontline workers to protect US agriculture from insects and diseases that can harm the economy,” Alcarraz said.
Agricultural and livestock products can bring fly worms or larvae and infections such as swine fever among other diseases that would stop food production in the nation that can support a food and economic crisis.
“Everything is destroyed with a machine or burned,” added Alcarraz.
According to agency data, each month they find approximately 800 infectious pests, confiscate more than 6,800 pounds of plants and 2,000 meat products.
Some of the prohibited products for international travelers are:
- silver or flowers
- Fruits and vegetables
- Vegetables
- Meat or sausages
- Nuts, seeds and grains.
These are the products allowed for international travelers:
- processed drinks
- Cookies
- Queso
- Beach sand
- Sweets
The inspector says that there are many other products that are not allowed while others are, depending on the country where the passenger comes from.
“So the best thing you can do as a passenger is declare everything you have and we do the inspection and we can tell you if it’s prohibited or not.”
People who break the rules can receive a first fine of $300 and a second fine of $500. Depending on the case, a person can even go to jail.
alcarraz.
John F. Kennedy International Airport estimates that around 50,000 international travelers will arrive in New York daily this summer, which is pre-pandemic levels. The Customs and Border Protection Agency at this airport has about 1500 employees to inspect and protect the nation.
After this inspection, Juan Castillo says he learned a lesson.
“I did not know. Now, for the next time, no more.”
2023-06-06 17:41:00
#protect #agriculture #Customs #agent
