Deputy Secretary Troy visits the San Ysidro Port-of-Entry and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

On August 8, Deputy Secretary Troy traveled to San Ysidro, CA to visit with officials of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other state and county officials. The Deputy Secretary also visited Tijuana, Mexico to meet with officials of the Baja California Department of Health.

During his visit, Deputy Secretary Troy examined the ongoing import procedures used at the port-of-entry between the U.S. and Mexico and observed the conduct of “Operation Snapshot”, a monthly interagency operation at the San Ysidro Port-of-Entry focusing on identifying the importation of agricultural commodities and/or foodstuffs, such as queso fresco (unpasteurized cheese), and other products which could pose public safety or health risks.

Deputy Secretary Troy also visited with local members of the Operation Snapshot Task Force which include representatives of the San Diego County Health Department, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the San Diego Quarantine Station, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Tijuana, Deputy Secretary Troy joined Dr. Jose Guadalupe Bustamente, Baja California Secretary of Health, and Clemente Villalpando, Executive Secretary of the México Section, U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission, on a visit to a number of private pharmacies and observed the extensive cross-border commerce involving the purchasing of medicines and other over-the-counter products by U.S. citizens.

August 8, 2008 (San Ysidro, CA) Deputy Secretary Troy overlooks vehicles entering the United States from the Customs and Border Protection’s operations center at the San Ysidro Port-of Entry. (HHS Photo by Matt Shiraki)

August 8, 2008 (San Ysidro, CA) Deputy Secretary Troy observes the seizure of queso fresco (unpasteurized cheese) at the monthly “Operation Snapshot” exercise at the San Ysidro Port-of -Entry. (HHS Photo by Matt Shiraki)

August 8, 2008 (Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico) Deputy Secretary Troy visits a private pharmacy. (HHS Photo by Matt Shiraki)

August 8, 2008 (Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico) Deputy Secretary Troy with the Honorable José Guadalupe Bustamente Moreno, M.D., Secretary of Health of the Mexican State of Baja California. (HHS Photo by Matt Shiraki)