Border Patrol in Philadelphia Intercepts Insect Immigrants in Cargo From Latin America
As if the U.S. Border agents were not already put out with all the illegal crossings and trying to size up migrants for any possible connection to al-Qaeda, now they have got to be on the lookout for foreign bugs too.
Agriculture specialists for U.S. Customs and Border Protection have just intercepted three separate types of insects that have made their way to the ports of Philadelphia: a species of seed bug named Dalmochrimnus guatemalanus, was found in a shipment of cassava and chayotes from Costa Rica on Nov. 7; a Stenygra setigera, which is a bug from the longhorned beetle family, came along in a container of granite from Brazil on Nov. 17; and some Ceroplastes sinensis, or Chinese wax scales, were found in a shipment of persimmons on the 20th of November.
Susan Stranieri, the CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia, in a press release reported in Fox News Latino said that: “Keeping these insect pests out of the United States is of grave concern for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and our agriculture specialists take their job very seriously.”
Adding that: “Holding the line against destructive insects at our nation’s borders protects America’s varied agricultural industries, and saves our nation’s economy the expense associated with eradicating and recovering from new invasive species.”
As a large number of insects may threaten the health of humans as well as livestock, not to mention potentially wreak havoc on crops, the United States has strict guidelines on what kinds of creatures can make their way into the country.
U.S. specialists have, according to Fox News Latino, ordered the specific shipment of cassava and chayote from Costa Rica to be fumigated, and the importer of the granite that contains the Brazilian beetle is right now debating whether or not to fumigate the order, send the granite back home, or simply destroy the shipment.
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