International Trade on the Boquillas Trail

I call it international trade but the US Customs Service calls it smuggling. Whatever you call it, there's a lot of it on the Boquillas Trail in Big Bend National Park. Mexicans from the town of Boquillas del Carmen cross the Rio Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande) to sell handicrafts to tourists. If they are arrested, they're deported at the nearest official crossing, 100 miles away. So instead of hanging around, they leave their wares for sale on an honor system. Just drop a few bucks in the can they provide. Be aware that Customs and the INS classifies these items as contraband and will seize them if they find them. Big Bend NP is crawling with INS officers, and you'll go through checkpoints on the access roads outside the park. They leave this stuff alone, though. In a different area, I ended up walking patrol with an INS officer and he just chuckled at this stuff and let it be. January 2010.