Mexico Increasing Inspections Of Pedestrians Crossing Border On Foot
TIJUANA, Mexico, July 20 (UPI) — Mexico will be increasing border inspections of foreign pedestrians entering into Tijuana on foot from the San Ysidro, Calif., border ahead of a new port of entry building opening.
The new Mexican immigration and customs building is scheduled to open in Tijuana in September.
Foreigners, including U.S. citizens, crossing from San Ysidro into Tijuana will be expected to show proper documentation, such as U.S. passports or passport cards.
Two pedestrian lanes have been proposed, one for foreigners and one for Mexican citizens.
Pedestrians crossing on foot are currently inspected scarcely.
“We will do everything we can to make the transition as seamless as possible,” Rodulfo Figueroa, head of Mexico’s National Migration Institute in Baja California, told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “People should not be panicking about this. We’re not going to create a four-hour southbound wait.”
The inspections will be enforced gradually and the flow of people entering will be taken into consideration.
“If we don’t have enough agents to review everyone, we’ll review everyone we can,” Figueroa added. “Our intention is not to create congestion at the border. Our intention is to try different strategies to process as many people as we can within a reasonable time frame.”
Bus travelers into Mexico from San Ysidro through the El Chaparral port currently have their travel documents inspected.
Previous attempts at increasing immigration inspections were criticized by Tijuana business leaders and tourism authorities because they said it could discourage tourists from visiting.
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