Mexican Lawmakers Clarify Incident at Texas Port of Entry

Mexican federal lawmakers have dismissed reports of being detained by U.S. authorities while attempting to enter Texas. They insisted that claims made by Mexican media regarding their detention were politically motivated. Yet, just two days later, they acknowledged that they had spent approximately 12 hours at the port of entry during a visa renewal process.

The situation unfolded on a Friday night when Congressman Mario “Laborrega” Lopez tried to cross into Brownsville via the port of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers took the group to a back room for questioning, where Lopez remained for about 12 hours before being sent back to Mexico. U.S. federal authorities have not released any details surrounding the incident.

Initially, Lopez insisted that no incident occurred, calling the news reports unfounded rumors. However, by Monday, during a broadcast with Mexican journalist Azcena Uresti, he revealed the truth about the lengthy wait at the port.

In an effort to downplay the situation, the politicians claimed that Lopez was initially sent for a secondary inspection due to a damaged visa. During this secondary inspection, U.S. officials allegedly mentioned that they had received a notice from Washington requesting further information about him.

Lopez did not provide specifics about the status of his visa but acknowledged he was working on resolving the issue. It’s still unclear whether U.S. officials canceled the visa as part of an investigation or if the damage was simply due to wear and tear.