Border delays remain a chronic problem for county

CALEXICO — Mexicali residents who come to the United States for work every day often find themselves waiting in long lines for as long as two to three hours at the Calexico ports of entry.

These delays are nothing new to the residents who have to cross to get to and from work.

Imperial County is well aware of the long wait times, and acknowledges the problems have only gotten worse with the surge of undocumented migrants making their way across the border in recent months.

“The county is aware of wait times at our port of entries, and although it is a federal issue, we have communicated to the

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (the need for) more resources to facilitate border crossings for those walking or driving into our county for work or other purposes,” Imperial County Public Information Officer Gil Rebollar said in an email.

In September of last year, the Board of Supervisors ratified a letter to the CBP director of field operations for the county to be provided with an opportunity to be more involved in the decision-making process in the future as cross-border travel directly impacts its local economy and community, Rebollar said.

Since then, the county, the city of Calexico and CBP port of entry representatives have been meeting monthly to discuss current operations, border crossing wait times and other issues in an effort to discuss any concerns or address any questions any parties may have, he said.

In April 2020, some 234,933 personal vehicles with 314,822 passengers crossed the border into the United States through Calexico. This was the fewest number throughout the year, with January 2020 having the highest number at 443,958 personal vehicles with 728,764 passengers crossing.

At the Calexico east port of entry, almost 1.6 million vehicles crossed the border in 2020.

Imperial County Supervisor Jesus Eduardo Escobar said the border crossing delays have been an issue for some time.

He said the county’s ongoing meetings with CBP are in hopes of achieving a solution to the increased wait times.

“The county will continue to advocate for a reduction of overall border wait times that still support the safety and well-being of our citizens,” Escobar said.

He said that could mean the increased use of technologies or staffing increases.

COVID-19 has also affected personnel levels for CBP at the port, he said.

“This coupled with existing migration issues has caused CBP resources to be pulled in different directions,” he said.

CBP officials did not respond to a request for comment.