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-Editorial
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials announced the reopening of the Western Pedestrian Crossing Facility (PEDWEST) at the San Ysidro Port of Entry beginning Thursday, December 16. November 2023, with limited hours of operation from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
CBP regularly plans and executes contingency measures to support the agency’s critical mission and ensure the safety and well-being of those in its custody. CBP will continue to assess the situation along the border and make operational changes as deemed necessary. Stakeholders will receive operational updates as they become available.
“We will continue to support CBP’s critical border security mission while balancing the needs of the traveling public,” said Mariza Marin, Port Director of the San Ysidro Port of Entry. “Our goal is to facilitate legal trade and travel while ensuring the safety of thousands of people in the region who cross the border every day.”
The traveling public can monitor vehicle wait times through CBP’s Border Wait Times website or download the Border Wait Times mobile app on their smartphone to help plan their trips. Wait times are updated hourly.
Travelers should familiarize themselves with the “Know Before You Go” section of the CBP website to avoid fines and penalties associated with importing prohibited items. “Know Before You Go” brochures are also available at border ports of entry.
If you are a frequent international traveler and have not yet signed up for a trusted traveler program, do so now. For more information, visit the official website of the Department of Homeland Security’s Trusted Traveler Program (dhs.gov).
CBP said in September that the closure is to help Border Patrol process noncitizens who arrived between ports of entry and said they will work to achieve normal operations as quickly as possible.
CBP explained that these efforts “will primarily focus on vulnerable populations to include families and unaccompanied children.” Officials say the agency’s mission is to ensure the safety and well-being of detainees.
The PedWest pedestrian crossing is located on the east side of the Las Américas shopping center, where Virginia Avenue ends at the border, immediately west of the El Chaparral port of entry into Mexico. On the Mexican side, a walkway connects PedWest to the southeast, ending in front of the Plaza Viva Tijuana shopping center, from where there is a bridge to downtown Tijuana.
PedWest opened for northbound pedestrians in July 2016 and opened for southbound pedestrians on July 31, 2017. PedWest improved its efficiency and now has 63,000 people passing through it each day. There are 10 northbound lanes and 2 reversible lanes. This has also become a better alternative for pedestrian traffic, due to the realignment of southbound I-5.
