Remote Surveillance Trailer in Nogales, AZ

NOGALES, Ariz. — Venturing into customs officers' turf, agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been posted at three Nogales ports of entry for much of the past two weeks, questioning some and at times checking immigration documents as travelers try to leave the U.S., locals say.

On Wednesday, an Arizona Daily Star reporter saw three agents wearing vests that read "ERO," for ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations branch, stationed just north of the pedestrian exit at the DeConcini port.

Taxi drivers who work near the port said the agents have been there almost every day, as well as in the southbound vehicle lanes, since the week of Dec. 8. Locals also report seeing ICE agents questioning travelers before they leave the U.S. through the Morley pedestrian crossing and the Mariposa port of entry.

"They ask where you're from, where you live, how many days you were here" in Arizona, Rosario Díaz, 68, said in Spanish, moments after entering Arizona on foot through the DeConcini port on Wednesday.

The Nogales, Sonora, resident said she regularly visits her U.S. citizen son in Arizona, and the interrogations bother her.

"This has never happened before," she said.

Agents aren't stopping all travelers; a white Star reporter crossed on foot without being questioned. Regular border-crossers say agents seem to be targeting people who look Hispanic.

The presence of ERO agents in Nogales appears to be related to a recent ICE memo, reported this month by HuffPost and Texas Public Radio. The memo described a Department of Homeland Security plan to deploy ICE agents to the border this month, in order to detain undocumented migrants, or people who have overstayed their U.S. visas, as they try to return home for the holidays.

Agents will target commercial buses heading to Mexico, HuffPost's story said.

Neither ICE nor DHS have responded to the Star's requests for clarification of the new operation at the southern border.

A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said he had no information on ICE's mission at Nogales ports of entry. CBP employees typically handle operations in the border region — CBP officers man the ports of entry, and Border Patrol agents patrol between the ports — whereas ICE usually operates in the U.S. interior.

By formally deporting violators before they can leave voluntarily, ICE can boost its deportation statistics as the Trump administration seeks to fulfill its campaign promise of "mass deportations." ICE can also impose penalties or prohibitions on deportees' return to the U.S.

'Ghost town'

The heightened scrutiny at the ports is unnerving for residents of Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, border towns commonly referred to as "Ambos Nogales," especially as ICE agents' mission remains unclear, travelers and shop owners said Wednesday.

Business owners say Mexican shoppers have been staying away from Nogales, Arizona, this Christmas season, which some attributed directly to ICE agents' presence, as well as factors like inflation and heightened immigration enforcement broadly.

Nogales shopkeeper Lidia Lopez gestured around her empty dress store Wednesday morning. Normally, she said, it would be filled with families from Sonora and Sinaloa doing their Christmas shopping.

But since ICE agents started questioning travelers, "There aren't any sales, there aren't people in the streets," said Lopez, an employee at Sam's Perfumes and Fashion on Grand Avenue, just north of the DeConcini port. "The businesses here are becoming like a ghost town."

Speaking in Spanish, she described the timing of the ICE operation during the holidays as "cruel."

"This is the high season," she said. "People are afraid. They're afraid of not knowing how to answer (ICE's questions) and that they might use it as a pretext to take away their passports."

La Cinderella and its sister store Kory's, both on Morley Avenue, have seen reduced foot traffic lately, employees said. Owner Sandra Kory attributes slower business not only to heightened enforcement, but also reported plans for mandatory facial scans at the southern border.

"There are so many new rules," she said.

In a plan that a CBP spokesman called "completely unrelated" to ICE agents at the ports, DHS will start doing biometric screenings for all non-U.S. citizen travelers on Dec. 26, scanning travelers' faces as they enter and exit the U.S., including at air, land and sea ports.

Even for international tourists and shoppers with their documentation in line, the surveillance is unnerving, Kory said.

"People are just so nervous to come in (to Arizona) because they’re afraid," she said. "It's all over the news that people even with legal status are being taken (by ICE), and they don't know where they take you."

Greater Nogales Port Authority board chairman Josh Rubin said this year, non-commercial border crossings — pedestrians, personal vehicles and bus passengers — at Nogales ports are on track to reach an estimated 10.5 million by the end of the year, about 300,000 fewer than in 2024, he said.

That's based on reported monthly data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, for which the most recent reliable data is for September 2025. The projection wouldn't account for any fluctuations in December.

It's not a big drop, but will likely be felt by local businesses, he said. Multiple factors are at play in that slight decline, including lingering impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

"I know it's crazy to continue talking about the pandemic five years later, but the pandemic really changed the way Mexican shoppers shop," he said. "They were forced to find new ways to get what they wanted" without coming to the U.S.

For the Port Authority board, safe and efficient operations at Nogales ports of entry are the top concern, and DHS is a partner in that goal, he said. As long as ICE's operations don't hinder cross-border flows, Rubin said he doesn't have a problem with their presence.

"At the end of the day, we live in an international border here in Nogales, and the laws are the laws," he said. "From the Port Authority standpoint, our priority is to keep Nogales a reliable, efficient and welcoming port of entry for lawful travelers and trade. That consistency is what supports jobs, businesses and the regional economy on both sides of the border."

Roberto Contreras lives in Nogales, Sonora and works just over the border, at Pinnacle Charter School on Morley Avenue. The slowdown in foot traffic there has been dramatic this month, said Contreras, who is a dual citizen and crosses the border daily.

He's noticed the ICE agents at the ports over the past two weeks, which he says contributes to the already rising hesitation among would-be border-crossers. Normally, there would be a line down the avenue of "paisanos" — people with Mexican roots who live in the U.S. — returning to Mexico to visit family for the holidays, but not this year, he said.

The nonprofit charter school helps students get their high school diplomas online and offers in-person English classes, mostly to U.S. citizens who live in Nogales, Sonora.

Fear is keeping many of the students away in recent months. Contreras' co-worker Jessica Leal said they're doing more outreach lately, "to try to keep the place alive."

Aggressive immigration enforcement 'is killing the economy," Contreras said.

Shop owners say they're hoping for a surge in last-minute holiday shoppers before the month is out. Kory said DHS oversight will continue to be front of mind for many local businesses.

Over the summer, La Cinderella was hit with an I-9 audit, in which DHS agents — likely from Homeland Security Investigations — asked for proof of store employees' legal status, Kory said.

Kory and her staff scrambled to gather all the documents, but didn't hear back from the agents for months, she said.

"We didn’t have anything to hide," she said, but the audit was especially stressful, as Kory was dealing with health issues.

"I'd just had surgery, and I had to be standing up trying to help my secretary to make all the copies they needed," she said. "It was terrible."

NOGALES, Ariz. – As political tensions rise and the threat of new tariffs casts uncertainty over North American trade, southern Arizona’s border trade leaders are taking their message directly to Washington, D.C., ahead of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) review.

The USMCA, which went into effect on July 1, 2020, is the free trade pact that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to strengthen trade relations and economic cooperation among the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Ahead of the agreement’s review hearings scheduled to take place Dec. 3–5, the Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority submitted a detailed comments letter to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, urging officials to invest in the border infrastructure, technology and coordination needed to keep supply chains moving efficiently and the economy growing. Now, the group is preparing to deliver its message in person to lawmakers and federal officials.

Port Authority Chairman Josh Rubin and Luis Ramírez, president of Ramirez Advisors Inter-National, are scheduled to present during the USMCA review. Their goal is to defend the continuation of the trilateral agreement and highlight Nogales’ economic importance.

“For us, it’s essential to be at the table so they understand what we see here every single day. People in Washington aren’t at the border — we are,” said Rubin, who also serves as vice president of business development at Javid LLC and a board member of the Index Nogales, the Sonora Maquiladora Association. “It’s important for them to hear our perspective and ensure Nogales stays on the map as decisions and recommendations are made.”

Their visit comes amid growing concern over potential tariff changes. The planned Nov. 1 implementation of new tariffs was delayed following discussions between Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and U.S. President Donald Trump, but trade experts say the pause provides little clarity.

Without a written agreement establishing whether the delay will last one month, three months or longer, business leaders say planning for the upcoming season — and making long-term investments — has become increasingly difficult.

A 25% tariff currently applies to all parts coming from Mexico. Companies that comply with USMCA regulations and can verify that a part was made in one of the three member countries are exempt. But if the extension is not granted, even compliant goods could face tariffs, significantly increasing costs, disrupting supply chains and driving up prices.

“Infrastructure, technology and binational coordination are critical,” Ramírez Thomas said. “You can’t just say stop importing from China or India. If there is no North American alternative for a product, part or component, companies can’t simply shut down their operations overnight. We need to give allowances to find alternatives, develop them at scale and eventually transition out of China, India and other parts of the world.”

Based on information from the public comments letter submitted to the U.S. Trade Representative, Nogales plays a key role in the U.S. economy, serving as a primary gateway not only for fresh produce but also for manufacturing goods moving through the North American supply chain. Though the city’s population is just under 20,000, the letter notes that Nogales functions as one of the nation’s most important ports of entry.

In 2024, Nogales ports processed 404,588 commercial trucks, 3.78 million passenger vehicles and 10.8 million travelers, facilitating $34.1 billion in total trade — including $10.8 billion in U.S. exports and $23.3 billion in imports.

Arizona’s ports process approximately $40 billion in imports and exports each year, and $34 billion of that passes through Nogales, according to Ramírez Thomas.

“We are fighting way above our weight class,” Ramírez Thomas said. “We are much more important than just the number of people because so much trade and tourism pass through here, which translates into billions of dollars for Arizona and the U.S. economy.”

Ramírez Thomas said many companies that were planning new manufacturing facilities and major distribution centers in Mexico and Canada have paused projects until tariff conditions become clearer.

Rubin said uncertainty is already reshaping business decisions.

“In my business, we are used to getting 15 to 30 leads a year of people interested in moving into Mexico and wanting to understand what Mexico is,” he said. “With uncertainties like potential tariffs, you don’t know if tomorrow it’s 25% or next month 50%. That pause and hesitation affects the actual movement of dollars, which is what the economy needs to grow.”

He added that some industries face even greater challenges.

“There are challenges for certain industries like electronics, where we get most of our chips and raw materials from Asia,” he said. “Mexico, the U.S. and Canada don’t produce all the raw materials we need, so we still have to source from places like Germany for specific metals. Automotive, connectors and pharmaceutical industries are heavily impacted.”

Rubin said any revised agreement must include provisions for stronger infrastructure and investment at ports of entry “to get products across the border faster and safer.”

For Nogales customs brokers, staying ahead of tariff changes is crucial. Gustavo Acosta, vice president and general manager of RL Jones Customs Brokers and president of the Nogales Customs Brokers Association, said brokers are on the front lines of compliance.

“Our process is extremely important because we represent clients in declaring goods — if we don’t get it right, it directly impacts them,” Acosta said. “We need to stay on top of all information, maintain constant communication with CBP and coordinate with industries and associations to ensure compliance.”

He said efficient communication between U.S. and Mexican customs is vital.

“When Mexican and U.S. customs communicate effectively, trucks can move faster and the economy functions more efficiently,” Acosta said. “Without this coordination, the industry slows down.”

Acosta said tariff changes carry significant financial consequences.

“Any change in a tariff can cost thousands of dollars per truck. With 10 to 15 trucks a day, that can add up to millions,” he said. “We are the eyes and advocates for our clients in every aspect.”

He noted that the United States has collected more than $90 billion in tariffs and that a potential Supreme Court ruling against them could trigger widespread refund demands.

Tomato growers still face a 17% dumping fee due to a suspended treaty, though other fresh fruits and vegetables continue moving tariff-free under USMCA.

For produce distributors, the stakes are equally high. Jaime Chamberlain, president of Chamberlain Distributing Inc., said investment decisions require stability.

“It has been very difficult for industries, especially for us in the fruit and vegetable business, because we aren’t planning for tomorrow; we’re planning three to five years ahead,” Chamberlain said. “We’re making extraordinary investments in shade netting, plastic and glass greenhouses, salt treatment plants — many large-scale projects. That money isn’t recovered in one season; it takes years.”

He said the threat of tariffs has created instability.

“We have contracts with retailers, food service providers and wholesalers, and we take these commitments very seriously,” Chamberlain said. “These are decades-long relationships we don’t want to lose or delay.”

All three leaders — Chamberlain, Rubin and Ramírez Thomas— agree that a new trilateral agreement is unlikely. Rubin and Ramírez said the United States will likely negotiate separate agreements with Mexico and Canada.

Chamberlain said Americans must recognize the importance of international trade.

“In the U.S., we need to understand we just can’t farm everything we eat. We need strong trade agreements with Mexico, Canada, and even European countries to ensure fruits and vegetables are available 365 days a year. Our relationship is deeply intertwined in many ways — from manufacturing cars, tractors, and refrigeration equipment to clothing and trading produce. We are deeply rooted in each other’s economies and cultures — and that’s what needs to be understood,” he concluded.

Dawn Page (she/her; Latine) is a freelance writer for CALÓ News. She grew up on the U.S.-Mexico border between Douglas, Arizona, and Agua Prieta, Sonora. She recently earned a Master’s in Bilingual Journalism from the University of Arizona. Her reporting focuses on immigration, borderlands issues, lifestyle, business and entertainment.