I just received the following email. For those that ride at Buttercup this is a must read!


Dear Fellow ASA Member,

Border Patrol has Implemented Zero Tolerance for Illegal Mexican Border Entries. Beginning in January 2008, the Border Patrol will be conducting enhanced operations along the border encompassing both the Grey's Wells and Midway Campgrounds. These operations will include a heightened detection and surveillance strategy coupled with an immediate response protocol to intercept all illegal cross border traffic. We will implement a zero tolerance for illegal cross border entries. It is and will remain the responsibility of the recreationists to know and abide by the law. Recreationists who accidentally illegally cross the border are subject to the zero tolerance.

Entry into the United States must be via a Port of Entry. Any individual who effects an illegal entry is subject to arrest and/or fine. Vehicles and personal property are subject to seizure.

Please read the their letter to fully understand the Border Patrol enhanced operations along the border encompassing both Grey's Well, Buttercup and Midway Campgrounds. CLICK HERE



The American Sand Association
Unite, Inform, and Mobilize
100% VOLUNTEER non-profit

I'm not sure I completely understand this......why would a U.S. citizen want to cross into Mexico illegally and them come back across illegally??

Unless of course they are drug trafficers or doing something illegal. In which case they should be picked up and their vehicles seized....zero tolerance would be a great thing in this case.

not sure i under stand either but I wonder if they will be taking away the ones that are allready here? might br less crowed.

If your not careful, you can find yourself across the border, and not realize it until it's too late. There's no fence, etc.

Well when you ride to the Blowhole from Buttercup......you are in Mexico as with alot of the the riding south of Buttercup. I think some clarification is in order, that is definitely a soft border there

Hmm?
Maybe we should put up a big fence.

they cant catch the mexis walking why they think they can catch me on a quad

Hmmm...... To easy

^^^^^^^ hahahaha but now you need a pass port so it could..... be easy to just go over then cruise back..... I would thnk.

No S***...what he said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^6

What was the policy before this letter came out??

It's always been illegal to cross the border into mexico. If it's obvious it was unintentional they've usually just let people off with a warning in the past. Intentional illegal crossings a lot of times slip through the cracks - but when they do have the manpower handy to make a stop it's not pleasant (i.e. federally impounded vehicles, being taken to a the nearest legal crossing as well as being charged with entering illegally, and to top it off then having to find your own way back from the nearest legal crossing - Algodones.)

There's another thread about this already which I posted when this was first announced:
http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index....howtopic=125423

And there's been a thread in the ASA forum with more discussion:
http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index....howtopic=125361

The letter from the border patrol says that they're going to be building a vehicle barrier through the dunes - but apparently they're implementing the zero tolerance before the barrier is built. Given how poorly marked the border is that seems like an awfully poor decision on their part - though I can somewhat understand it as the trafficking through there has gotten a lot worse now that walls have gone up in most of this area.


I've been stopped in the past and warned that I was getting close to the border, and in one instance was warned that I had crossed it illegally several times and could have been charged but was let off with a warning. We were also stopped once (out on I-8 after we left) and asked if they could search our vehicles because they said they watched us cross illegally....which was odd as that trip we never got closer than 1 mile to the border (I checked on a map to see how close we were.)

As for outrunning them...They've got more manpower in that area now than ever before. They've also got cameras, motion sensors, radar and other tricks up their sleeves. And as I learned you don't even have to actually cross the border for them to be watching you and accusing you of it.

There are some guys at SPAWAR building some prototype trailers that have video cameras, infrared video cameras and a new type of low power radar that's capable of giving a very accurate return from flesh. In the past, radar really needed something kinda big and metal to get a decent return. With this new radar tuned for this purpose, it can distinguish between a dog, kid or adult.

Pretty cool stuff. Although soon, we will be known as "One Nation, Under Surveillance."

Does anyone have a map showing the buttercup area and where the border actually SHOULD be marked??

It is not illegal to cross from the U.S. side into Mexico as far as the U.S. Border Patrol is concerned. It's when you come from Mexico into the U.S. that there is a problem and the law states that you are not allowed to enter the United States but at a Port of Entry. To re-enter the United States you have to go thru Customs and they are only at the Port of Entries.

While that may be somewhat true. Mexico also does not take kindly to people crossing an international border not at one of the approved port of entry. They can do the same thing impound vehicle and put you in jail.

You can go to google earth and check the borders button. It will show you where the actual border is. While we have all seen the border signs along the wire lines and the road south of Plank Road area that leads to Gordons Well, the Mexico border is about two miles south of comp hill at Buttercup. Someone told me that the border was going to be marked all the way through the dunes south of Buttercup but you know how rumors go.

Well, the entire border is marked...just very poorly unless they've put up a LOT more stakes lately.

Here's a photo of one of the markers:

(Click for fullsize)


We're actually parked on the US side of the border in this photo (counting PMV with Dr. Phillips)

Here's another from that day:

(Click for fullsize)


The black thing is NOT a border marker, it's a cadastral survey mark. The white stake is the border marker. The tracks visible are on the mexican side.




The white stakes are spaced far enough apart that you probably won't see the next one from the location of the one you're nearest.

Best bet is to stay well away...Usually staying to the first and second valleys only is a safe bet and will keep you well away from the border (you're on your own if you're camped west of the dunes, the border is VERY close over there) but as I pointed out even staying a mile away is apparently close enough that they may pull you over and claim you crossed.

Coming from the cul-de-sac anywhere in comp valley is 100% safe (or at least should be). Over the next ridge of dunes and into the second valley on the west side you're ok...but don't stray very far at all past the back of the valley - the border is right along it at some points. East of the second west valley the dunes over there are where the border can be VERY hard to find. The valley east of comp over a set of dunes should also be safe...but that's where we were when we were accused of crossing the border. According to the maps though there's another set of dunes and the border is halfway through the next valley.

Here's a USGS topo map of the area:

Click to view attachment

I was gonna say the marker in the red shirt looks like Rick!!!! hahaha

That trip payed for itself for him, he found a $20 bill while we were waiting for Dr. Phillips to count plants

He makes a lousy border marker though, won't stay still very long