By LYNN BREZOSKY Associated Press Writer

HARLINGEN, Texas- Authorities along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border are tightening security amid concerns that terrorists will try to enter the country before the November presidential election.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner said the border is in a "period of increased risk." In July, federal officials said intelligence indicated al-Qaida hoped to attack the United States to disrupt the elections.
 
"There have been concerns that terrorists will try to enter the country across our southern border," Bonner said in an Aug. 20 statement. "We have been preparing for the possibility and are taking appropriate actions."

About 200 border agents have been moved to "high-threat" areas, cargo inspections have increased, and equipment is being shared with Mexican law enforcement, he said.

Already one incident this summer has called security into questions along the border, which the Sept. 11 Commission's July 22 report called "porous."

A woman was arrested at the McAllen airport with a mutilated South African passport and soggy jeans in her luggage from apparently wading across the Rio Grande. She pleaded innocent Aug. 20 to three immigration violations. Federal officials would not comment on whether the woman was still being investigated for terrorist activities or groups.

Last week, the U.S. embassy in Juarez, Mexico, put out a media alert that suspected terrorist Adnan G. El Shukrijumah might try to cross into Arizona or Texas. But rumors Shukrijamah was spotted near the border were unsubstantiated, and FBI spokeswoman Donna Spitzer said reports of an FBI borderwide alert were false.

To beef up the border, U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Mario Villarreal said many agents have been moved to the Tucson, Ariz., sector. It's the most highly trafficked section of the border featuring a network of smugglers and the vast camouflage of desert.

As of Sunday, 453,996 illegal immigrants had been apprehended in the Tucson sector since the start of the fiscal year, with 71,000 caught in March alone.

Border Patrol spokeswoman Christiana Halsey also said more of the estimated 4.5 million trucks that cross the border daily are being sent through drive-thru scanners.

"Now the bar is set lower," she said.

Bonner said federal intelligence agencies were improving data sharing with border agents, something the Sept. 11 Commission said was a weakness. Bonner also said "Mexican Liaison Units" are traveling to Mexico to trade information and offer assistance.

Even with an increased U.S. presence, some officials are concerned about their counterparts in Mexico.

Carlos Davila Gonzalez, director of the Institute of Immigration in Reynosa, Mexico, said Mexico was hiring more staff to patrol the border. But Mexican agencies lack funding _ many of Gonzalez's staff don't have the funding or equipment to even call into the United States.

Villarreal said he did not know how Mexican agents would communicate with their U.S. counterparts if there was a terrorist sighting or capture.

Villarreal said some agents in San Diego, Calif., had given their Mexican counterparts walkie-talkies to communicate across the border. He said that led to arrests of immigrant smugglers and provided information on which smuggling rings were dealing with "significant interest" countries, such as those in the Middle East.

"We are aware of the terrorist threat and are evolving hourly to face it and keep America safe," Bonner said.

Villarreal said Monday the alert level along the border remained yellow, or elevated, Customs and Border Patrol agents were undergoing anti-terrorism training.

He said the main concern is just how porous the vast border is, despite ever-increasing surveillance.

"This year we had over 990,000 people attempting illegal entry across our borders," Villarreal said. "The vast majority of these people are economic migrants. The threat is with the sheer volume."

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