Expect longer waits at Tijuana border crossing

Be prepared for longer than usual wait times at Tijuana’s San Ysidro border crossing. That’s the word from the Ministry of Tourism for Baja California, Mexico, which is advising travelers to allow extra time to cross at Tijuana or consider using a different point of entry for their U.S.Mexico crossing.

The U.S. temporarily closed northbound and southbound lanes at the border for about five hours on Nov. 25, after conflicts erupted with some migrants from Central America who were seeking asylum.

You can check on the border’s status and wait times 24/7 at apps.cbp.gov/bwt/mobile.asp or by using the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s mobile app (CBP Border Wait Times, for iOS or Android).

For a quicker crossing, you may want to get a SENTRI card, which allows you to use dedicated lanes. (Info at lat.ms/CBPSentri). SENTRI card holders ($122 for five years) have been prescreened by CBP.

Ready Lanes expedite travelers who carry certain U.S. documents. To see which you can use: lat.ms/CBPdox.

Don’t want to cross at Tijuana? You can use Otay Mesa, which has 13 lanes and is about nine miles east of San Ysidro. Other border crossings are available in Tecate (two lanes), Calexico (18 lanes) and Los Algodones (three lanes). For more info: lat.ms/CBPknowbeforeyougo. For updates, follow the agency on Twitter (@CBP).