Photo: Joebeth Terriquez / EFE
Traffic chaos at the border crossing between Tijuana in Mexico and San Diego in California, which is considered to be among the busiest in the world, was caused Tuesday when a new checkpoint began operating. Mexican checkpoint on the Tijuana side.
The Mexican government installed a checkpoint near the border, guarded by about 24 agents of the municipal police, of the state of Baja California, of the National Guard and the National Institute of Migration (INM), who will carry out random checks on travelers.
The Mexican authorities reported last week that the new checkpoint would allow Mexican immigration officials to check that travelers heading north have the proper documents to cross before they arrive at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, operated by agents of the Office of Customs and Pro United States Border Protection (CBP).
Catalino Zavala Márquez, Baja California government secretary, told the media that this is “a pilot project” that resulted from a binational agreement to speed up border crossings “in this season, which is the most difficult, due to the number of people who usually cross between November and December.”
Zavla assured that this will happen because at to review the Mexican side, “what is going to happen is that as of today the US government will open more lanes on the border for access from south to north”.
The mayoress of Tijuana, Montserrat Caballero Ramírez, promised that there will be more security in the area.
“They have presented some unsafe facts for them (the users) and in this way we are going to protect it, we are going to expedite crossings and our binational relationship (with the US government) is going to improve, possibly because it will allow greater security in the area with the presence of elements from the three levels”, said the mayoress.
Users denounce plan to detain immigrants
Several users rejected Mexico’s review point because and denounced which is a plan to stop migrants at the border.
The point is installed in the midst of the record migratory flow to the United States, where the CBP stopped in the fiscal year of 2022 more than 2.100 million undocumented.
“At first I was completely unaware of the purpose, only that it was to expedite the crossing, but the more I see ‘info’, I get Of course, it is to contain the migrants who are seeking asylum and not really to expedite traffic,” Carlos Banales told EFE.
The Mexican Víctor Castro said that “as long as those fences are not removed, the CBP will not work”.
While Andrés Zavala pointed out that “ironically it caused a huge increase in traffic jams”.
Mexico denies that it is to control immigrants
Carlos González Gutiérrez, general consul of Mexico in San Diego responded “no way, by no means” after being asked if the checkpoint is to contain migrants or a way for Mexico to do CBP’s work.
“What we are doing in coordination is a matter of security, protection and expediting on this side of the border,” he said. “It is a mistake to interpret it as an effort for another government,” he asserted.
The review point will be in force on 24 hours to day 19 January 2022.