THE BORDER DOESN’T HAVE TO BE AN INCONVENIENCE FOR SO MANY
“Papi, how much longer ‘til we can go home? I’m tired. They always take so long.”
That’s my youngest son, Daniel, just 8. He has probably visited “the back” (as we have come to know secondary inspection at U.S. border crossings) more than most adults who frequent U.S. ports of entry.
“You know what to do,” the customs officer says as once more an officer places my U.S. passport card on my windshield, adorns my vehicle with a little numbered cone on the roof (similar to those used in auto service or tire shops) and proceeds to escort me. I nod, in acknowledgment and compliance, turn on my hazard lights and follow as I am directed across lanes of cars that recently crossed after their lengthy commute. I am greeted by another officer across the way, directing me with a flashlight to my next stop where we will spend another 30 to 60 minutes — if we are lucky.
Decades of identity theft have normalized this as part of my family’s border-crossing experience, even as U.S. citizens. After all, waiting idly for hours, navigating through miles of traffic and being at the mercy of Department of Homeland Security (DHS)officers are all part of the sacrifice for visiting family and checking in on their welfare.
After reaching the officer with the flashlight, we are now directed to another wait line before actually entering secondary inspection. This is the Z Portal. At the Z Portal, cars are slowly guided one at a time at 2 or 3 miles per hour through a massive X-ray machine before they are cleared to proceed after the scan. This added step is the only thing standing between our next wait time in the back before I can get my two young kids home to bed so they can be well-rested for their virtual learning early the next morning — as if parenting wasn’t enough!
Initially, when X-ray scanning was introduced, we resisted. My wife and I opted not to expose ourselves to additional radiation so we would ask for the alternative to scanning. The alternative included waiting for DHS staff to conduct a meticulous search of our vehicle and personal belongings.
However, because of how intrusive and time-intensive that process was, opting out of X-rays was short-lived. Now driving through the X-ray scanner has become normalized for us. Of course, this is coming from a person who is sent to secondary inspection every time I cross, due to a common name. I have been somewhat desensitized to these inconveniences because they have happened to me for so long.
Now, H.R. 5273, the Securing America’s Ports Act, signed two months ago by then-President Donald Trump, will treat everyone similarly. The Securing America’s Ports Act tasks the Department of Homeland Security with developing and executing a plan to implement X-ray and gamma-ray technology at U.S. ports of entry that would check 100 percent of the vehicles crossing, but at what cost? Technology equipment maintenance and operation are only one facet of what would be substantial expenses. There are also economic and time implications for one of the busiest ports in the world.
Commerce would be delayed as would crossing times. Common current wait times between one to four hours could be doubled. While safety and protection of our borders is at the core of DHS’s mission, so are our values. Such values include the ability to acknowledge that many San Diegans are fronterizos, individuals for whom binational travel is a necessary and daily occurrence. We are people who visit loved ones, live in Mexico (partly due to increased costs of living stateside), and contribute to the economy by shopping and paying taxes.
The days of hearing customs officials say, “If you don’t like it, then don’t cross” should be behind us. Unfortunately, they are not.
Crossing the border is not a privilege. It is our right. Imagining that DHS is able to carry out such an operation (which would be a daunting task in itself, given all the responsibilities the agency already has), I would add that it is equally important to examine what that means for personnel, for efficacy and the humanity with which they will treat people as they are asked to take on additional responsibilities.
Each day my family is only one of thousands of families which commute regularly in San Ysidro, one of the busiest ports of entry in the Western Hemisphere. Many folks make their binational commute to go to work or school, to visit family or to shop. It is unlike anything else other cities experience or could understand. Thus, our border should not be seen as a point of separation but rather a point of contact — a place where two worlds converge and create a unique niche that needs to be supported, not further fragmented.