CBP temporarily closes port of entry

U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporarily closed all northbound vehicle lanes at 3:15 a.m. Monday at the San Ysidro port of entry in order to install additional “border hardening materials.”

Northbound pedestrian processing at the facility was also temporarily suspended to prepare for the arrival of thousands of people migrating in a caravan heading toward the U.S. border, CBP reported.

The newly installed security enhancements included jersey barriers and concertina wire. They were in response to “reports of groups of persons from the caravan gathering in the city of Tijuana for a possible attempt or attempts to rush illegally through the port of entry instead of presenting themselves as required to a CBP officer,” a CBP press release stated.

After the CBP response at San Ysidro, no activity materialized at the border crossing, the agency reported. Concertina wire was similarly installed in recent days at the Calexico downtown port of entry.

Around 6:25 a.m., CBP officers resumed processing northbound pedestrian traffic at the San Ysidro Pedestrian East facility, and also resumed processing northbound vehicle traffic in lanes 6-11, 13-18 and 20-23, CBP reported.

Vehicle lanes 1-5, 12, 19 and 24-26 remained closed. CBP officials recommend persons traveling northbound to the United States anticipate possible increased wait times because of the lane closures.

“CBP will not allow for the unlawful entry of persons into the United States, at or between our ports of entry,” said Pete Flores, director of San Diego Field Operations, in a written statement. “Waiting until a large group of persons mass at the border to attempt an illegal crossing is too late for us; we need to be prepared prior to when they arrive at the border crossing.”