SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Drivers heading into Tijuana through the San Ysidro Port of Entry are reporting increased vehicle checks and scrutiny on their way out of the United States.
The checks are done on a regular basis as a way to prevent drugs, guns and money from being smuggled into Mexico.
When the crossing was remodeled six years ago, special booths for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers were installed at every southbound lane.
Marcos Ramirez says the added patrols are becoming a nuisance and an inconvenience.
“I get what they are doing, but it only makes our commute longer, sometimes you just want to get home, why can’t the customs guys in Tijuana take care of that?,” asked Ramirez, a construction worker in San Diego who lives in Tijuana.
Border Report reached out to CBP to see if there has been an increase in the number of southbound inspections in recent weeks, but the agency has not returned our messages.
“People shouldn’t be alarmed by the inspections,” said Joaquín Luken, of the Smart Border Coalition based in San Diego. “This is nothing new, this has nothing to do with the Donald Trump administration.”
Luken says the inspections are an important tool that helps CBP discover stolen cars, drugs, cash and guns, as well as finding people who may have overstayed their visas in the United States.
“There was talk of making these inspections more prevalent, but due to the dynamic at the border and stress felt by the community, CBP has been very selective when it launches these inspections on the way out of the country, but when they coincide with more exhaustive searches on the Mexican side during rush hour after work, is when you see monumental border waits.”
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