Feb. 17, 2023- With the rising prices of eggs in recent months, driven by the bird flu outbreak, border patrol agents have been confiscating hundreds of eggs flooding the border from Mexico. Border patrol agents and US customs have reported they have had over 2000 encounters of people trying to smuggle eggs into the country.
The recent rise in prices for eggs were reportedly cause by a avian influenza, or bird flu that was detected around February last year.
Border Patrol agents stated that they noticed the sudden increase in people attempting to bring eggs into the country with prices significantly less than that of the current supermarket brand.
The 2,002 encounters involving eggs that occurred between Nov. 1 and Jan. 17 were reported by field offices in San Diego; Tucson, Ariz.; Laredo, Texas; and El Paso, and they do not represent the total number of eggs seized. The biggest increase was in San Diego, where the encounters jumped to 1,077 from 230, an increase of 368 percent. The total number of confiscated eggs has not been disclosed as of yet.
People who declare that they have crossed the border with eggs “can abandon the product without consequence,” Border Patrol said. Customs and Border Protection agricultural specialists collect and destroy the eggs.
