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David K
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Oh I didn't mean to imply that was a concern at all, it is just a result.
Until now, anyone could walk into Mexico, even dragging kids along and disappear. Cars used to get in pretty easy before the red light/ green light
gates...
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JoeJustJoe
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Yes, as a few have indicated, one of the main reasons why Mexico has tighten the US/Mexico border, is because of the criminals on the lam from the US.
Criminals on the lam in the US, have a long history of making a run for the Mexican border, and Hollywood, doesn't help with all those old westerns of
cowboy bad guys, often bank robbers, after a big score, try to make a run to the Mexican border, and live happily ever after in some Mexican cantina.
Even the women criminals in the movies on the lam, like " Thelma & Louise," were trying to making a run to the border before they went flying off
the cliff.
The recent upstate NY escape of a couple of convicted murderers, had plans to make a run to the Mexico border, before their plan blew up in their
face, and one escapee was killed, and the other captured.
Hopefully, this new Mexico border check, will stop many fleeing US felons with plans of making a run to the border, and possibly reduce homicides and
criminal activity in Mexico.
______________________________________________
Why it's Mexico's turn to tighten the US border
A checkpoint at the nation's busiest border crossing will now require Americans to show their passports before entering Mexico.
In recent decades, a more pressing problem has also emerged, with the fact that Mexico is often seen as a cheap and convenient destination for
criminals on the lam. Most recently, it was revealed that New York prison escapees Richard Matt and David Sweat had been planning to make their way to
the country before they were captured, reported The Christian Science Monitor.
This year alone, more than 120 Americans who were expelled from the Mexican state of Baja California had arrest warrants in the US, reported the AP.
Some of the deportees last year were named as the FBI’s most wanted.
Now, border security will be able to cross-check visitors' information with international criminal databases.
“This is about putting our house in order,” Rodulfo Figueroa, Mexico's top immigration official in Baja California, told the AP.
read the rest here:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2015/0820/Why-it-s-M...
[Edited on 8-24-2015 by JoeJustJoe]
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SFandH
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Quote: Originally posted by JoeJustJoe  | Yes, as a few have indicated, one of the main reasons why Mexico has tighten the US/Mexico border, is because of the criminals on the lam from the US.
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Now the bad guys have to drive or pay someone to give them a ride. Perhaps take a bus. They never check ID driving southbound, not even in secondary.
[Edited on 8-24-2015 by SFandH]
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DENNIS
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Running a country is running a business, and it takes money. Oil...Mexico's most profitable product, has dropped in price and tourism has taken a
hit, so they have to raise the price of admission.
Makes sense to me.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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JoeJustJoe
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| Quote: Originally posted by DENNIS |
Running a country is running a business, and it takes money. Oil...Mexico's most profitable product, has dropped in price and tourism has taken a
hit, so they have to raise the price of admission.
Makes sense to me. |
I don't know what you're reading Dennis, but Mexico had a record level of foreign tourism in 2014, and that includes US residents.
Mexican oil is down, which is the main cause of the peso being down, but low oil prices won't last forever, although I which they remained low.
I suppose Mexico, wants to make a few pesos from Americans staying longer than seven days, and perhaps trying to crackdown of illegal American aliens
in Baja.
_______________________________________________
U.S. residents flocked to Mexico in record numbers last year
Dspite warnings by the State Department, Americans traveled to Mexico in record numbers last year.
Mexico was the top U.S. international destination last year, with a record 25.9 million visitors from the U.S., up 24% from the previous year,
according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
read the rest here:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-travel-abroad-by-u-s-r...
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rayfornario
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Posts: 169
Registered: 2-23-2007
Location: Imperial Beach, Ca
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| Quote: Originally posted by JoeJustJoe | | Quote: Originally posted by DENNIS |
Running a country is running a business, and it takes money. Oil...Mexico's most profitable product, has dropped in price and tourism has taken a
hit, so they have to raise the price of admission.
Makes sense to me. |
I don't know what you're reading Dennis, but Mexico had a record level of foreign tourism in 2014, and that includes US residents.
Mexican oil is down, which is the main cause of the peso being down, but low oil prices won't last forever, although I which they remained low.
I suppose Mexico, wants to make a few pesos from Americans staying longer than seven days, and perhaps trying to crackdown of illegal American aliens
in Baja.
_______________________________________________
U.S. residents flocked to Mexico in record numbers last year
Dspite warnings by the State Department, Americans traveled to Mexico in record numbers last year.
Mexico was the top U.S. international destination last year, with a record 25.9 million visitors from the U.S., up 24% from the previous year,
according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
read the rest here:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-travel-abroad-by-u-s-r... |
I would be surprised if tourism does not take a big hit from this. A lot of that tourism is the border regions I bet. Already the bars are grumbling
about a lack of tourists on weekend nights 
Even a bad day in Baja is better then a good day somewhere else!
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 19347
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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| Quote: Originally posted by rayfornario | | Quote: Originally posted by JoeJustJoe | | Quote: Originally posted by DENNIS |
Running a country is running a business, and it takes money. Oil...Mexico's most profitable product, has dropped in price and tourism has taken a
hit, so they have to raise the price of admission.
Makes sense to me. |
I don't know what you're reading Dennis, but Mexico had a record level of foreign tourism in 2014, and that includes US residents.
Mexican oil is down, which is the main cause of the peso being down, but low oil prices won't last forever, although I which they remained low.
I suppose Mexico, wants to make a few pesos from Americans staying longer than seven days, and perhaps trying to crackdown of illegal American aliens
in Baja.
_______________________________________________
U.S. residents flocked to Mexico in record numbers last year
Dspite warnings by the State Department, Americans traveled to Mexico in record numbers last year.
Mexico was the top U.S. international destination last year, with a record 25.9 million visitors from the U.S., up 24% from the previous year,
according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
read the rest here:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-travel-abroad-by-u-s-r... |
I would be surprised if tourism does not take a big hit from this. A lot of that tourism is the border regions I bet. Already the bars are grumbling
about a lack of tourists on weekend nights
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Tourists usually got time, so can't imagine time spent doing form work is a big whoop.
Tourists just got to get a passport, not a big deal for most people. People without passports usually aren't big spenders or travelers, so tj might
not miss them, eh?
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SFandH
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I looked for some data about tourism revenue for Tijuana but couldn't easily find any. TJ has a population of 1.3 million people, about the same as
San Diego. The amount of revenue brought in by tourists who walk into Mexico but who will stop doing that because of the passport issue must be tiny
compared to the city's overall revenue.
No big deal business wise, except if you own/work at businesses that cater to walking tourists. Those relatively few will see a drop in revenue until
getting a passport becomes a more common thing to do.
The passport card makes it much easier to carry the necessary ID. Leave the book at home, stick the card in your wallet, walk across for whatever your
reason.
Plus, having an RFID passport card makes it quicker to walk back. Use the Ready Lane. The biggest reasons for the SY crossing rebuild are to process
people entering the US quicker while increasing security.
People will get them once it becomes known they are needed.
[Edited on 8-25-2015 by SFandH]
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BajaBlanca
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Posts: 13212
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Location: La Bocana, BCS
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we just crossed into TJ using the volaris shuttle bus yesterday. we had to unload our suitcases, get them xrayd. Press a button for opening
everything for customs or not (we both got green).
the first question was DO you have your passport?
to which Les replied: soy mexicano! and pulled out our IFE cards.
sa weeeet
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dasubergeek
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Posts: 694
Registered: 8-17-2013
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Ah, just give it a while for the new shiny to rub off.
Meanwhile, twice in a row, the gates were open and the 'traffic lights' were off driving through El Chaparral.
I am a little weirded out that they don't take SENTRI cards, though. I know it isn't the same as a passport but... also, it'd be nice if they
expedited their "Viajero Confiable" program for SENTRI members to the border crossings (and had an interview station in Tijuana rather than only in
Cabo and MEX airports).
[Edited on 8-25-2015 by dasubergeek]
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sancho
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I'm sure the nut of Mex Tourism are the fly down vacation resorts, not the walk over guy going to
Revo Ave and having to stand in
the 2 hr+ line coming back. It is said
some 40% of Americans have passports, a passport card is $40
dlls, I believe. The Tourist visiting San Diego from out of Ca.,
may not be able to visit TJ, but he probably wouldn't anyway
due to past negative press, which has subsided, but is still on
some minds
[Edited on 8-25-2015 by sancho]
[Edited on 8-25-2015 by sancho]
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rayfornario
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Posts: 169
Registered: 2-23-2007
Location: Imperial Beach, Ca
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After one week of operation, this new border procedure has definitely impacted the bottom line for many merchants out on Revolution. I also observed a
large group of Young people returning from the entrance into Mexico having been denied entry because of no passport.
Merchants said there is a huge difference in the number of tourists between pre-inspection and now post inspection. I was there yesterday and it was
dead out on the streets. Also, the line going back to the U.S reflects the lack of incoming tourists as it has been virtually wait free in my last 3
over the course of a week...sad
Even a bad day in Baja is better then a good day somewhere else!
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JoeJustJoe
Banned
Posts: 21045
Registered: 9-9-2010
Location: Occupied Aztlan
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Mood: Mad as hell
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| Quote: Originally posted by rayfornario | After one week of operation, this new border procedure has definitely impacted the bottom line for many merchants out on Revolution. I also observed a
large group of Young people returning from the entrance into Mexico having been denied entry because of no passport.
Merchants said there is a huge difference in the number of tourists between pre-inspection and now post inspection. I was there yesterday and it was
dead out on the streets. Also, the line going back to the U.S reflects the lack of incoming tourists as it has been virtually wait free in my last 3
over the course of a week...sad |
Thank you for your anecdotal report on the tourist visits to Tijuana after the new inspection policy, but your experiences don't match my experiences,
nor are they supported by any news reports on either side of the border.
I have never seen Tijuana dead, unless it's 3 am in the morning. Tijuana is always bustling with activity, and I could never tell who is a tourist
or not, although I can see there are less white Americans, than before.
The lines back to the USA after a big improvement, are back to two hours long at times, according to the San Diego Tribune, which has also concluded
tourism to Mexico and the border region has increased the last couple of years. The walking lines back into the US are always long, unless it's after
11pm, and there is little to no wait.
So not only has foreign and American tourism increased to Mexico, about 25 to 29 million tourists, but so has border traffic, as I remember off the
top of my head, about 130,000 tourists cross the US/Border daily into the Baja region. We have seen reports in the local papers, that local tourism
has been real good during the holidays, that high-end restaurants in TJ are now on the map, and that's increasing that overall restaurant bushiness .
I read that Mexico medical tourism, pharmacy business has been increasing, and the list go on and on.........
I'm sure the new policy may affect the bottom line on merchants in Tijuana, but we haven't heard anything yet official, and if it was that bad, we
would have heard screaming already in the local papers like the "AFN-Tijuana" I read daily. But the new policy in Mexico, is not a tourism policy,
it's a safely issue, and knowing who is coming into Mexico, like the USA wants to know who is coming into the USA.
I recently made a visit to Tijuana during mid-week, and I was worried about the new policy, since I like to park and walk over the border, but the
line was not long, and it took me about 10 minutes to fill out a form and get through the line. So it wasn't a big deal, and besides Mexican officials
said they would shut the lines down, if the lines if the lines got to long.
I have a relative needing near emergency expensive dental work but has no dental insurance, and without a passport, drove to Tijuana, received dental
work, and drove back over the border with only a drivers license, and birth certificate, with no problems at all.
I would not advise to do this under the new guidelines, but it worked for them, and it probably works for others as well.
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rayfornario
Nomad
Posts: 169
Registered: 2-23-2007
Location: Imperial Beach, Ca
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: Originally posted by JoeJustJoe | | Quote: Originally posted by rayfornario | After one week of operation, this new border procedure has definitely impacted the bottom line for many merchants out on Revolution. I also observed a
large group of Young people returning from the entrance into Mexico having been denied entry because of no passport.
Merchants said there is a huge difference in the number of tourists between pre-inspection and now post inspection. I was there yesterday and it was
dead out on the streets. Also, the line going back to the U.S reflects the lack of incoming tourists as it has been virtually wait free in my last 3
over the course of a week...sad |
Thank you for your anecdotal report on the tourist visits to Tijuana after the new inspection policy, but your experiences don't match my experiences,
nor are they supported by any news reports on either side of the border.
I have never seen Tijuana dead, unless it's 3 am in the morning. Tijuana is always bustling with activity, and I could never tell who is a tourist
or not, although I can see there are less white Americans, than before.
The lines back to the USA after a big improvement, are back to two hours long at times, according to the San Diego Tribune, which has also concluded
tourism to Mexico and the border region has increased the last couple of years. The walking lines back into the US are always long, unless it's after
11pm, and there is little to no wait.
So not only has foreign and American tourism increased to Mexico, about 25 to 29 million tourists, but so has border traffic, as I remember off the
top of my head, about 130,000 tourists cross the US/Border daily into the Baja region. We have seen reports in the local papers, that local tourism
has been real good during the holidays, that high-end restaurants in TJ are now on the map, and that's increasing that overall restaurant bushiness .
I read that Mexico medical tourism, pharmacy business has been increasing, and the list go on and on.........
I'm sure the new policy may affect the bottom line on merchants in Tijuana, but we haven't heard anything yet official, and if it was that bad, we
would have heard screaming already in the local papers like the "AFN-Tijuana" I read daily. But the new policy in Mexico, is not a tourism policy,
it's a safely issue, and knowing who is coming into Mexico, like the USA wants to know who is coming into the USA.
I recently made a visit to Tijuana during mid-week, and I was worried about the new policy, since I like to park and walk over the border, but the
line was not long, and it took me about 10 minutes to fill out a form and get through the line. So it wasn't a big deal, and besides Mexican officials
said they would shut the lines down, if the lines if the lines got to long.
I have a relative needing near emergency expensive dental work but has no dental insurance, and without a passport, drove to Tijuana, received dental
work, and drove back over the border with only a drivers license, and birth certificate, with no problems at all.
I would not advise to do this under the new guidelines, but it worked for them, and it probably works for others as well.
I was in TJ on Thursday afternoon and regardless of what the papers say and the government; it has been impacted in a big way. The merchants do plan
to file a complaint but not sure where that will go. The lines going back at 6:30 pm are generally more than an hour. There appeared to be now at all
my past 3 visits since they started the new inspection. Speaking with customs, they have the same thing.
I think if one was going to a restaurant in Rio zone, they would probably drive...just saying
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Even a bad day in Baja is better then a good day somewhere else!
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JoeJustJoe
Banned
Posts: 21045
Registered: 9-9-2010
Location: Occupied Aztlan
Member Is Offline
Mood: Mad as hell
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| Quote: Originally posted by rayfornario |
I was in TJ on Thursday afternoon and regardless of what the papers say and the government; it has been impacted in a big way. The merchants do plan
to file a complaint but not sure where that will go. The lines going back at 6:30 pm are generally more than an hour. There appeared to be now at all
my past 3 visits since they started the new inspection. Speaking with customs, they have the same thing.
I think if one was going to a restaurant in Rio zone, they would probably drive...just saying
[/rquote] |
Maybe your experiences are different Ray, but according to US Customs and Border Protection, site, today on Friday at 1pm the wait time for passenger
vehicles is about 25 minutes, and the line for pedestrians using the standard line is about 60 minutes.
So right now it's better to drive over the border using the passenger vehicles line, however after about 8pm, it's actually better to walk over the
border using the pedestrian line because that's when the lines are very short.
There are a couple of sites that give this information, here is the one I used:
https://bwt.cbp.gov/
And here is another site that gives you current information and the past week:
http://traffic.calit2.net/border/border-wait-times.php?type=...
[Edited on 8-28-2015 by JoeJustJoe]
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rayfornario
Nomad
Posts: 169
Registered: 2-23-2007
Location: Imperial Beach, Ca
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: Originally posted by JoeJustJoe | | Quote: Originally posted by rayfornario |
I was in TJ on Thursday afternoon and regardless of what the papers say and the government; it has been impacted in a big way. The merchants do plan
to file a complaint but not sure where that will go. The lines going back at 6:30 pm are generally more than an hour. There appeared to be now at all
my past 3 visits since they started the new inspection. Speaking with customs, they have the same thing.
I think if one was going to a restaurant in Rio zone, they would probably drive...just saying
[/rquote] |
Maybe your experiences are different Ray, but according to US Customs and Border Protection, site, today on Friday at 1pm the wait time for passenger
vehicles is about 25 minutes, and the line for pedestrians using the standard line is about 60 minutes.
So right now it's better to drive over the border using the passenger vehicles line, however after about 8pm, it's actually better to walk over the
border using the pedestrian line because that's when the lines are very short.
There are a couple of sites that give this information, here is the one I used:
https://bwt.cbp.gov/
And here is another site that gives you current information and the past week:
http://traffic.calit2.net/border/border-wait-times.php?type=...
Thanks for those websites...do you find them to be accurate ?
[Edited on 8-28-2015 by JoeJustJoe] |
Even a bad day in Baja is better then a good day somewhere else!
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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Mood: Everchangin'
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| Quote: Originally posted by JoeJustJoe |
I have a relative needing near emergency expensive dental work but has no dental insurance, and without a passport, drove to Tijuana, received dental
work, and drove back over the border with only a drivers license, and birth certificate, with no problems at all.
I would not advise to do this under the new guidelines, but it worked for them, and it probably works for others as well.
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FWIW, i just crossed on Tues at Otay around 6pm and the driver had an expired passport with holes punched in the cover. Long/short the border guy
waived us thru without even looking in the bed of the truck. Total time elapsed? 4.75 minutes until the roads were first world standard....
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soylent_green
Junior Nomad
Posts: 90
Registered: 9-4-2014
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you can now fill out and print your fmm before entering Mexico via land.
http://thenews.mx/2015/09/inm-launches-e-registration/
http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/Boletin_4615
https://www.inm.gob.mx/fmme/publico/solicitud.html
you do still need to go in the office and have it stamped
[Edited on 9-1-2015 by soylent_green]
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sancho
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2524
Registered: 10-6-2004
Location: OC So Cal
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S Green, Good pick up, my tablet doesn't want to hold on to
the English translation. I suppose this new online process
may be of use, but as
with the pre paid fmm, one must stop at the border Mex Imm
to have it validated and or pay? or is the pay available on the
online site? Not sure what time one would save having to stop
at Immigration anyways
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Says you can pay on line and print out the form as proof of payment.......still must stop at INM and get it stamped. Article states that it isn't
activated yet:
http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/travelers-can-obtain-tourist...
| Quote: Originally posted by sancho | S Green, Good pick up, my tablet doesn't want to hold on to
the English translation. I suppose this new online process
may be of use, but as
with the pre paid fmm, one must stop at the border Mex Imm
to have it validated and or pay? or is the pay available on the
online site? Not sure what time one would save having to stop
at Immigration anyways
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