SAN DIEGO – As the U.S.-Mexico border community prepares for the upcoming All Souls Day (Día de los Muertos) holiday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials are advising the traveling public that certain agricultural items used in holiday decorations are prohibited from entry into the U.S. These items can carry harmful pests and diseases, such as citrus huanglongbing.
Huanglongbing (also known as HLB or citrus greening) is a disease caused by a bacterium that can infect most citrus varieties and some ornamental plants (such as orange jasmine). If allowed to spread, it can be devastating to America’s citrus industry. This dangerous plant disease was first detected in the U.S. in 2005 in Miami-Dade County, Florida. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, huanglongbing is one of the world’s most serious citrus diseases. There is no known cure for this plant disease, which kills citrus trees and greatly reduces citrus production.
Many border community families celebrate Día de los Muertos by constructing altars (memorials), create offerings to honor and commemorate the lives of loved ones or famous persons who have passed on. A common type of cut flowers are yellow and orange Marigold flowers (enterable but subject to inspection) plus ornamental greenery known as Murraya, or orange jasmine, is often used in the construction of the altars. Murraya is a host plant for the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, an insect that can carry the bacteria that cause huanglongbing and is therefore prohibited from entering the U.S.
“While we want everyone to enjoy this tradition and have fun partaking in festivities, we also must remind the traveling public of prohibited items that could potentially be hosting dangerous pests and deceases,” said Jennifer De La O, CBP Director of Field Operations for the San Diego Field Office. “We all have the personal responsibility of keeping our country free from harmful pests and diseases.”
Prohibited citrus includes the following: oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, sour oranges, and sweet limes. Other popular fruits that also are prohibited include guavas, mangoes, peaches, and pomegranates.
In addition to citrus fruits, the importation of tomato and pepper fruits from Mexico in passenger baggage is also prohibited. This prohibition went into effect in November 2019 to prevent the spread of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus, which can cause severe fruit loss in tomato and pepper crops.
Failure to declare prohibited agricultural items also can result in fines. Penalties for personal importations of undeclared, prohibited agricultural items, depending on the severity of the violation, can run as high as $1,000 and up to more than $250,000 for commercial importations.
The objective is to educate the community about the devastating impact of huanglongbing and what actions they can take to prevent this citrus disease from establishing a greater foothold in the U.S.
The traveling public can learn more about prohibited fruits, vegetables, plant and animal products and other prohibited items by consulting the “Know Before You Go” guide or the list of top 10 travelers’ tips at the following link: http://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/agricultural-items