THE BORDER REPORT

BorderReporter's traffic has jumped some 40 percent in the past few days, we're at about 3,500 unique visitors a day (thank you, Arturo) so it's a good time to implement a couple changes that'll keep you coming back.

Like me, you have a tendency to read the story del día then move on to other things but new readers have been occasionally jumping in with their own observations and remarks on old stories that most of you have moved past on. So we're introducing a new "recent comments" feature to keep you abreast of what others are saying so you can either cheer, jeer, sneer or (threaten to expose the authors of). And, and this is something I've long resisted because I'm getting old, BorderReporter's now on Twitter and Facebook. Enjoy.

Moving on, got an interesting message from a Customs and Border Protection employee this  morning. Seems there was a shooting at a major port of entry in Arizona, Dec. 14.

It was a blatant attack on the port of entry – and one that, officially, CBP has played down as little more than random bullets from a gang shooting down the way.

My guy says that CBP seized $300K from two Sonorans heading south through the Mariposa port of entry. Four hours later, a shooter on a mountain top 100 yards away opened up on the port. "He hit a Tufesa bus and passenger vehicles as well as the port itself," the source says. Several rounds were recovered and Mexican law enforcement found the shooting location (but no shooter).

Some think it was a vengeance attack for the $300K. Yet another person I spoke with says CBP had confiscated an additional $700K that day at the port of entry. So was that an accounting error or did this second source get the amount wrong? Was this a vengeance attack on Homeland Security or was this over-enthusiastic thugs incapable of shooting straight? Is CBP keeping this one under wraps or am I seeing demons? Quien sabe. But I like the story. Keep the chismes coming.