BajaNomad

Mexico to step up pedestrian border inspections

SFandH - 7-19-2015 at 12:29 PM

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/jul/19/mexico-...

"Enforcement would be gradual

TIJUANA — Mexican immigration officials are preparing to ramp up inspections of U.S. citizens and other foreigners entering the country on foot, requiring those crossing from San Ysidro to show travel documents such as a U.S. passport or passport card.

The head of Mexico’s National Migration Institute in Baja California, Rodulfo Figueroa, said that the new push will begin by September with the expected opening of a new building housing Mexican immigration and customs inspections stations at the Tijuana pedestrian entry.

Figueroa said that the measures will be enforced gradually, and inspectors will be sensitive to the flow of people entering the country.

“We will do everything we can to make the transition as seamless as possible,” Figueroa said. “People should not be panicking about this. We’re not going to create a four-hour southbound wait.”

The measures should not be that much of a burden on most U.S. citizens, as they are already expected to show passports or other valid travel documents when re-entering the United States.

Previous efforts by Mexico’s federal government to enforce immigration inspections in Baja California have met with stiff resistance from business leaders and tourism authorities fearful that the passport requirement would discourage visitors to the state. Particularly touchy was a requirement that those visitors planning to remain in Mexico for more than seven days pay a 330-peso fee, about $21.

Last November, a pilot inspection program aimed at pedestrians crossing into Mexico at Otay Mesa was canceled after Baja California Gov. Francisco Vega de Lamadrid took up the issue with Mexico’s immigration commissioner.

Figueroa said the new plan has the full support of his higher-ups. Immigration inspectors currently inspect documents of all southbound bus riders entering Tijuana from San Ysidro through the El Chaparral port of entry, and have been conducting some inspections on pedestrian crossers at the discretion of immigration inspectors, he said.

With the opening of new building, authorities plan to create two lanes for pedestrians entering Mexico, one for Mexican citizens and the other for foreigners. “If we don’t have enough agents to review everyone, we’ll review everyone we can,” Figueroa said. “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.”

Similar inspections for those driving across into Mexico are also contemplated, but these “are way, way into the future,” Figueroa said."
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Thanks to Sandra Dibble at the San Diego Union-Tribune for the baja reporting she does.

[Edited on 7-19-2015 by SFandH]

Bajahowodd - 7-19-2015 at 04:55 PM

I need some education here. It has been many years since I crossed into Mexico by foot. Sometime back, a new port of entry was opened for vehicles headed South, which is not close to the old entry point. And the US expanded the number of Northbound lanes, using the old Southbound lanes.

Do pedestrians still cross South at the old entry point? Just wondering, especially since if someone on foot headed N/B they would have a helluva walk to get to the trolley.

SFandH - 7-20-2015 at 07:25 AM

Pedestrians cross at the east side of the SY crossing, right where the San Diego trolley station is. It's a busy place, lots of trains, an example of good public transportation. Cabs, city buses, jitneys, and pedicabs are also there.

[Edited on 7-20-2015 by SFandH]

sancho - 7-20-2015 at 08:04 AM

As SHF says, the SB ped crossing has moved to the no. side
of the border, across the NB traffic lanes coming back, the NB
ped lanes are in the same general location as the SB ped lanes. Mex has completed
a new Imm building where SB peds will pass thru going into Mex. What is up in the air is, that ALL US peds entering will
need a passport/pass card, the rest will be sent back to
the US, being denied entry to Mex if not presenting a PP,
along with some reports of
having to pay for a tourist card every time, on the surface this
looks like paying $23 everytime one walks across does not look
practical, but Mex has shot itself in the foot before, we will see



bajaguy - 7-20-2015 at 08:20 AM

And why would anyone go into a foreign country (anywhere) without a Passport???
Quote: Originally posted by sancho  
As SHF says, the SB ped crossing has moved to the no. side
of the border, across the NB traffic lanes coming back, the NB
ped lanes are in the same general location as the SB ped lanes. Mex has completed
a new Imm building where SB peds will pass thru going into Mex. What is up in the air is, that ALL US peds entering will
need a passport/pass card, the rest will be sent back to
the US, being denied entry to Mex if not presenting a PP,
along with some reports of
having to pay for a tourist card every time, on the surface this
looks like paying $23 everytime one walks across does not look
practical, but Mex has shot itself in the foot before, we will see



However.....

durrelllrobert - 7-20-2015 at 08:56 AM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  
Pedestrians cross at the east side of the SY crossing, right where the San Diego trolley station is. It's a busy place, lots of trains, an example of good public transportation. Cabs, city buses, jitneys, and pedicabs are also there.

[Edited on 7-20-2015 by SFandH]


...If you want to park your car on the US side and walk across, they have move to pedestrian overpass from the lots on the west side of the 5. You now have to walk north about 1/4 mile to get to the new walkway over the 5 that ends near the trolley plaza. Not fun if you are hauling luggage, etc.

SFandH - 7-20-2015 at 08:59 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy  
And why would anyone go into a foreign country (anywhere) without a Passport???



Because it is, soon to be was, allowed. Many San Diego area residents who don't have passports walk across for a few hours to shop at the TJ stores (pharmacies for example) and visit dentists, restaurants, etc. in the border area. It looks like they will need to have passports.

No big deal as far as I'm concerned.

[Edited on 7-20-2015 by SFandH]

JoeJustJoe - 7-20-2015 at 12:04 PM

Quote: Originally posted by durrelllrobert  
Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  
Pedestrians cross at the east side of the SY crossing, right where the San Diego trolley station is. It's a busy place, lots of trains, an example of good public transportation. Cabs, city buses, jitneys, and pedicabs are also there.

[Edited on 7-20-2015 by SFandH]


...If you want to park your car on the US side and walk across, they have move to pedestrian overpass from the lots on the west side of the 5. You now have to walk north about 1/4 mile to get to the new walkway over the 5 that ends near the trolley plaza. Not fun if you are hauling luggage, etc.


Why not park in the parking lot by "Jack-in-the-Box" on the same side of the entrance to the Mexican border? It's still a walk, but the way it was before, you had a long walk depending on which side of the gate you parked on.

Who knows if this new pedestrian border inspection will became permanent? Mexico seems to talk about these kind of issues, and then abandons or modifies them when it doesn't work out, or there is a lot of outrage over their new policies.

The fact is a lot of Americans, mostly Mexican-Americans, but Asians tourists as well, are making day trips to Tijuana, and many of the Mexican-Americans with large families do not have passports, but the US custom agents allow them back into the US with no problems.

So of will be interesting to see Mexico actually enforces the passport/passcard rules, because if they do, it's going to have a huge impact on day trip tourism to Tijiuana, and the rest of Baja.

It would be a shame too, because just today an article came out in the "AFN" Tijuana, that said tourism rose 25% in Tijuana.


Subió 25% turismo en Tijuana

http://www.afntijuana.info/turismo/43794_subio_25_turismo_en...

sancho - 7-20-2015 at 02:12 PM

In the recent past, CBP reported some 70% of people coming
back by vehicle to the US had proper docs, so I assume that
number would be the same for peds, probably with peds the
number would be higher that don't have proper docs. So some
30%+, at least, of US tourists walking across into TJ don't have acceptable docs. Aside from the peds,
there was a post on the P Banda board today of a Gringo
pulling a utility trailer across into Mex at SY, was told it exceeded the 14' reg, was told to go to Otay, also learned from
Mex Imm that the passport/passcard reg will be implemented
for US tourists driving into Mex in the near future

durrelllrobert - 7-20-2015 at 02:45 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JoeJustJoe  
Quote: Originally posted by durrelllrobert  
Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  
Pedestrians cross at the east side of the SY crossing, right where the San Diego trolley station is. It's a busy place, lots of trains, an example of good public transportation. Cabs, city buses, jitneys, and pedicabs are also there.

[Edited on 7-20-2015 by SFandH]


...If you want to park your car on the US side and walk across, they have move to pedestrian overpass from the lots on the west side of the 5. You now have to walk north about 1/4 mile to get to the new walkway over the 5 that ends near the trolley plaza. Not fun if you are hauling luggage, etc.


Why not park in the parking lot by "Jack-in-the-Box" on the same side of the entrance to the Mexican border? It's still a walk, but the way it was before, you had a long walk depending on which side of the gate you parked on.

Who knows if this new pedestrian border inspection will became permanent? Mexico seems to talk about these kind of issues, and then abandons or modifies them when it doesn't work out, or there is a lot of outrage over their new policies.

The fact is a lot of Americans, mostly Mexican-Americans, but Asians tourists as well, are making day trips to Tijuana, and many of the Mexican-Americans with large families do not have passports, but the US custom agents allow them back into the US with no problems.

So of will be interesting to see Mexico actually enforces the passport/passcard rules, because if they do, it's going to have a huge impact on day trip tourism to Tijiuana, and the rest of Baja.

It would be a shame too, because just today an article came out in the "AFN" Tijuana, that said tourism rose 25% in Tijuana.


Subió 25% turismo en Tijuana

http://www.afntijuana.info/turismo/43794_subio_25_turismo_en...

Before they made the changes you could park in the lot on the west side where the UETA duty free is and walk 100 feet and be in line to cross into Mexico. That lot is still always full today and if you make a purchse at UETA their van will drive you north to where the new pedestrian walk way is.

JoeJustJoe - 7-20-2015 at 03:09 PM

Quote: Originally posted by durrelllrobert  


[/rquote] Before they made the changes you could park in the lot on the west side where the UETA duty free is and walk 100 feet and be in line to cross into Mexico. That lot is still always full today and if you make a purchse at UETA their van will drive you north to where the new pedestrian walk way is.


Yeah, that's right, but you're forgetting after clear customs and walk back to your car in the US, that you used to have to still cross that bridge and walk up hill on those ramps and over the freeway when you returned to your car.

This is why I always like to park on the other side where Jack-in-the Box is, because I used to rather make the long trip on my way into Tijuana, and then enjoy the short walk back to my car, when I returned.

Now that everything is on the same side, I like parking by Jack-in-the-box even better, although the parking fees have gone up a couple of dollars.

Bajahowodd - 7-20-2015 at 04:45 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy  
And why would anyone go into a foreign country (anywhere) without a Passport???

Ask a European, who can travel from London to Athens without one!


Quote: Originally posted by sancho  
As SHF says, the SB ped crossing has moved to the no. side
of the border, across the NB traffic lanes coming back, the NB
ped lanes are in the same general location as the SB ped lanes. Mex has completed
a new Imm building where SB peds will pass thru going into Mex. What is up in the air is, that ALL US peds entering will
need a passport/pass card, the rest will be sent back to
the US, being denied entry to Mex if not presenting a PP,
along with some reports of
having to pay for a tourist card every time, on the surface this
looks like paying $23 everytime one walks across does not look
practical, but Mex has shot itself in the foot before, we will see



sancho - 7-22-2015 at 04:34 PM

Was a piece in the San Diego Union Tribune yesterday, re: the
passport requirements for peds crossing so. into Baja at SY, sorry I couldn't get the link to
hold, states passport/passcard
required soon of tourists, but the favorable part is no fmm fee if staying
7 days or less, which was of concern

dasubergeek - 8-10-2015 at 11:59 AM

Are they still planning the Virginia Avenue southbound pedestrian crossing? (It's a miserable idea... you end up in the middle of nowhere and it's a LONG walk to get downtown from there since you have to angle away from downtown to get over the river.)

SFandH - 8-10-2015 at 05:18 PM

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/105703

"Project Update: February 2015

GSA is currently collaborating with local agencies to develop a plan for improvements at Virginia Avenue to support northbound and southbound pedestrian crossing on the west side of the port. The proposed design includes ten northbound and two reversible pedestrian processing lanes and conveniently serves the traveling public on the west side of San Ysidro. The concept includes an intermodal transit center for buses and taxis in addition to a pedestrian drop off and pickup area. Furthermore, with the passage of the Fiscal Year 2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, the $216 million needed for Phase 2, the last unfunded phase of the project, has received full funding."