United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested a couple at the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday, saying they were trying to smuggle parrots into the United States.
Andres Garcia Mendoza and his wife, Jennifer Garcia, allegedly told a CBP agent that they had nothing to declare, but the agent sent them for a secondary inspection, according to Border Report. Upon further inspection, CBP officers found three red-lored parrots, also known as the red-lored Amazon, after noticing pillows and blankets behind Mrs. Garcia’s legs in the white GMC pickup they drove.
Woman allegedly conceals red-lored parrots behind feet at border https://t.co/oKdIKvyyGW
— FOX 5 San Diego (@fox5sandiego) January 7, 2026
Upon questioning the couple gave differing stories, until Mrs. Garcia admitted they planned to sell the birds and had brought parrots, which can fetch up to $3,000 apiece, into the United States on previous trips. The Garcias were charged with wildlife smuggling and made an initial appearance in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas Tuesday, where a $50,000 bond was set and a public defender was appointed.
If convicted, the Garcias could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
The red-lored parrot is native to a swath of Latin America stretching from Mexico to Ecuador, according to BirdsofTheWorld.org, where it lives in woodlands. The parrot is known for bonding with humans and for being talented at talking with the ability to reach the age of 60, according to TheSprucePets.com.
President Donald Trump made securing the southern border a priority in his second term after campaigning on the issue during the 2024 election, signing multiple executive orders when he took office on Jan. 20, 2025, to address the situation. The Trump administration touted in a Dec. 15 release that no illegal immigrants had been released into the United States for seven straight months, while the Biden administration released hundreds of thousands, according to figures released by CBP.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation about the arrest or about the status of the birds.
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