Spike in border traffic expected for pope’s visit

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is asking for a little cooperation and a lot patience during the next few days while Pope Francis visits Juarez.

“Normally, we see approximately 30,000 vehicles and 20,000 pedestrians,” said Ruben Jaurequi, public affairs liaison with the Office of Field Operations in El Paso. “On holidays and weekends, those numbers double, but with the pope coming, we are going to expect a lot more than that.”

In other words, expect long wait times on the ports Wednesday.

“We’re expecting more than 60,000 vehicles, so we are asking motorists to be prepared to help us expedite the process by having their documents ready,” Jaurequi said.

Motorist who have Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology will be processed quicker.

“The way we set it up at all crossings is on the far left-hand side we have all the ready lanes,” he said. “With the RFID technology, the officer receives all the information before the motorist arrives to the officer, so that cuts seconds which becomes minutes and minutes turns to hours in wait times.”

RFID uses radio waves to identify motorists. There is a device that reads information contained in a wireless device or “tag” from a distance without making any physical contact or requiring a line of sight.

“U.S. citizens who do not have a U.S. passport or a passport card can use a birth certificate or driver’s license to enter the U.S.” Jaurequi said. “This will take a little longer because the officer has to process them manually.”