Jody Serrano
Editor in chiefEditor in Chief at Xataka On. Before joining Webedia, I was a tech reporter at Gizmodo and The Messenger. While I've covered all sorts of things related to technology, I'm specialized in writing about social media, Internet culture, Twitch, and streamers.
Stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S., specifically fentanyl, from the border was one of President Donald Trump’s first priorities when he began his second term. However, while the president slammed the country’s allies for their purported role in the fentanyl crisis, U.S. officials were seizing a very different item at the border: eggs.
Confiscating more eggs than fentanyl. Recent data from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency reveal that agents carried out 3,254 seizures related to eggs in January and February of this year, CBCreported, an increase of 116% year-over-year. The figure is a stark contrast to the 134 seizures of fentanyl over the same two-month period, which represents a 32% decrease year-over-year.
Does this mean that people are smuggling in eggs? It’s hard to say whether all of the cases reported involved people trying to smuggle eggs into the U.S. Some might be bringing eggs in for personal use, while others may be trying to make a profit and hiding their eggs. Apart from the data, CBP does not provide any additional information about the seizures, though some local offices have put out statements reminding people that bringing raw eggs into the U.S. is illegal.
The agency’s public statements indicate that several of the seizures involved eggs from Mexico.
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Yes, bringing in raw eggs is illegal. The reason isn’t just for kicks. As the agency explains, bringing in raw or fresh eggs into the U.S. from another country is prohibited because of concerns about bird flu outbreak, which has devastated America’s farms.
“This ongoing bird flu outbreak, the worst on record, serves as a reminder of the role human behaviors, such as transporting birds and avian products, can play in disease transmission,” the CBP office in San Diego said in a statement.
In addition, bringing in raw eggs from another country could also potentially transmit Virulent Newcastle disease, or VND. The disease is fatal to birds and poultry, attacking their nervous, respiratory, and digestive systems. It spreads when healthy birds come in direct contact with the bodily fluids of sick birds. There is no treatment.
Smuggling has hefty penalties. Trying to bring in eggs won’t just get you a slap on the wrist, either. El Paso border patrol agents said they had issued 16 civil penalties totaling almost $4,000 to people attempting to smuggle illegal agriculture and food products into the country, including eggs.
Why are people suddenly obsessed with eggs? The rise in egg-related seizures coincides with the rising prices of eggs and shortage. In March, the average price of a dozen eggs in the U.S. hit $8.64, an all-time high. The U.S. has faced problems with domestic egg production since 2022 due to the rising cases of bird flu affecting the nation’s farms. The shortage has led some people to start renting out chickens as a solution.
In comparison, egg prices in Mexico have remained low. Users on social media report seeing prices of a dozen eggs for roughly $2.
Images | Raiyan Zakaria
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