Entering Mexico, an Experience Bordering on Insanity

Leaving Mexico after a nice weekend can mean long lines and occasional hassles at the border. But let me tell you a nightmare of a tale about getting into Mexico.

Maybe there’s something we can learn from what happened to Patricia Dreyfus of Newport Beach and her three daughters. Their ruined Mexican vacation can warn the rest of us not to get ourselves in the same predicament.

Their only mistake, they argue, was defending their rights.

“We insulted the border guard by asking for help,” Dreyfus said. “And we paid the price.”

The price they paid was $578 in taxes and fines, plus the loss of close to $400 in personal property. Plus a vacation turned sour. Let me take you to the beginning. . . .

One of Dreyfus’ daughters, a recent law school graduate, is getting married next month. So while Dreyfus’ husband remained back in Newport Beach to run the family pharmacy, she and the three daughters recently headed for a pre-wedding vacation at Rancho La Puerta. That’s a resort/health spa just south of San Diego County’s Tecate border, where the family has been vacationing for more than 20 years.

“We’ve never, ever had a hassle at the border,” Dreyfus said.

Ah, but this trip was different. En route to Mexico, the four women stopped for some shopping, and came across beautiful artificial-flower displays that they thought would make perfect centerpieces for daughter Amy’s wedding. So they bought about $500 worth of flowers--shipping most of them back home--plus candleholders and vases. What they didn’t ship they planned to leave in the back of their four-wheel-drive vehicle to take home.

But at the Mexican border, at 1:45 p.m. on a Saturday, they were stopped. A border guard could see the flowers in the back and inquired about them. When he asked to see a receipt, the women produced one. You must pay a 21% tax on any merchandise over $50, he said. Although the receipt showed that most of the flowers had been shipped, he insisted on taxing the full $500 worth. He also wanted to tax the candleholders and vases, plus several sets of sandals, because he found shoe boxes in the back vehicle. But the sandals are on our feet, the women protested; surely we don’t have to pay taxes on what we’re wearing. But the guard insisted.

The four were not happy about interrupting their vacation, but felt they had no choice but to turn back. A tax that high seemed exorbitant. Since one sister lived in San Diego, they decided to dump all the stuff at her home.

Oh, no you don’t, the border guard told them. You are now in Mexico. You aren’t going anywhere.

The women protested again. They weren’t even past the kiosk with the big overhead sign that says Mexico. And even if they were, it seemed unreasonable for the border guard not to let them turn around once they learned about the tax.

At some point during the debate, the four Americans say, the border guard announced that Mexican law gave him a great deal of leeway, and that he had now decided that the tax would be 300%.

The women thought about seeking help from the U.S. Border Patrol. But unlike Tijuana, where the two countries have nearby border checkpoints, the two at Tecate are several hundred yards apart. So the four called the resort for help, and it sent two men. But the Dreyfus women say this seemed to only anger the border guard and a Mexican policeman who had joined the debate.

While the women watched, the two officials opened all their luggage and examined all their belongings. Total time: five hours and 45 minutes. And the family’s car would be confiscated--for what would turn out to be three days.

The women had no choice but to stay. They had paid for a week at the resort and could not get their money back. They had no car anyway.

So they tried to make the most of their vacation. After numerous complaints to authorities about their treatment, they wound up paying 20% to 30% taxes on the flowers, the candleholders, the vases and their own luggage. (They showed me the paperwork.) The tax and fines came to $578. Everything except the luggage and its contents was confiscated and not returned.

Seems to me these folks deserve more than just an apology from the Mexican government. But they shouldn’t expect it.

I made my own trip to Tecate to look into it. The Mexican government doesn’t see things the same way as the Dreyfus family.

The four vacationers’ first mistake: A sign says you must declare any new merchandise at the Mexican immigration office. (Stopping there could have eliminated only the fines.) But then, the sign is written in Spanish. And it’s one of so many signs, it’s difficult to spot. (The “no guns” sign was much larger and written in English.) I didn’t see the new-merchandise sign until it was pointed out to me.

Second mistake: The women were indeed already in Mexico. Any of us would think that the big overhead sign that says “Mexico” and the checkpoint would sit on the boundary line. But no, I was told, a stop sign about 200 yards back marks the border.

Third mistake: They argued.

“You don’t dare,” said Vern Edmonds, a minister who is director of the Tecate Mission. Though headquartered on the American side, it operates nearly a dozen Christian churches in Mexico.

“In Mexico, there is much flexibility,” he said. “If you act subservient to the guards, they will let you through paying very little tax. But they have even hassled our pastors. We try to buy our building materials in Mexico, because often they will tax even our used goods we take across the border.”

For a short while, I watched Homero Hernandez, one of the Mexican border guards, meticulously inspect each vehicle, even placing a large mirror under them. Later, Hernandez told me about the tax situation:

“You can bring in three liters of wine, a camcorder, a radio, a camera, and a TV if it’s part of the vehicle [as in an RV],” Hernandez said. “Anything else new over $50, you pay the tax.”

I told Hernandez it seemed unfair that the Dreyfus family was not allowed to turn back.

“You are standing in Mexico,” he said. “If we find it here, you owe the tax.”

Amy Dreyfus won’t put herself through any similar hassles.

“I will never go to Mexico again,” she said.

So enjoy your next Mexican vacation. But if you go by way of Tecate, be careful what you take with you.

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling the Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or by fax to (714) 966-7711, or e-mail to jerry.hicks@latimes.com