The president’s budget

Earlier this week the U.S. General Services Administration announced some of the benefits for our local infrastructure included in President Donald Trump budget proposal for the 2021 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

According to the agency, the White House has requested close to $100 million to move forward with the final phase of the west port of entry. This third phase includes the demolition of the pedestrian crossing and construction of a new facility. Other proposed features include new canopies, a lot for seized vehicles, additional booths and lanes for privately owned vehicles, and others.

So far, GSA has spent or is about to spend about $370 million on the construction of a more modern and long-overdue port of entry. The last time the Mexican and U.S. governments completed a binational project like this one occurred more than two decades ago with the east port of entry.

So far, the new border crossing has worked about the same way as the old downtown port. Wait times (which in fact is one of the major causes of the decline in the number of shoppers and dollars spent in Imperial Valley) can be hours in peak times. Not even SENTRI lane users have avoided significant waits to enter Calexico.

A similar situation occurs at the east port of entry. At times, even the pedestrian crossing east of Calexico experiences delays, though not as long as those downtown.

Will the new pedestrian crossing solve the sometimes three-hour wait times? Sincerely, I doubt it.

For one thing, it doesn’t change the number of people trying to get through. Monday through Friday, field workers, students living in Mexico and studying in Imperial Valley private and public schools, senior citizens going to the Social Security Administration for retirement purposes, shoppers, and workers in general combine to produce long lines that take a precious amount of time. What’s more, Mexicali’s population is growing and seems likely to continue doing so in the years to come.

Meanwhile, the number of border crossers still outpace the number of Customs and Border Protection agents dedicated to inspect and allow pedestrians and drivers passage north. This has been a problem for many, many years. Over a decade ago Calexico merchants and authorities held a march through First Street that concluded at the emblematic 40-year-old port of entry.

While protesters yelled outside demanding faster crossing federal officers just recorded the demonstration from second floor. Years later, CBP officials and community representatives met continuously to address issues concerning public safety and border crossings. This led some improvements, but the issue related to the number of agents needed to provide a better service remains unsolved.

Without a doubt, the facelift given to the old port if Congress approves at least this part of the budget will be an aesthetic improvement in the years to come. But the makeover won’t mean much to local businesses and border crossers if manpower remains reduced.

Many times, our federal agents finish their shifts overwhelmed and exhausted after having worked 12 straight hours. Sometimes officers are given just little time to rest at home before being called back to duty. This is not only bad for the public but for the officers as well.

So, regardless of how impressively beautiful our new port may be, the results may still be comparable to visiting a local supermarket and finding all the shoppers standing in one or two lines while dozens of checkout lanes remain closed for lack of staffing.