Border travel crackdown causes long waits

SAN DIEGO -- A Trump administration crackdown on nonessential travel coming from Mexico amid the coronavirus pandemic has created massive bottlenecks at the border, with drivers reporting waits of up to 10 hours to get into the U.S.

An employee at a company that provides support for businesses with Mexican operations saw the huge lines Sunday night from his home in Tijuana, Mexico. A U.S. citizen, he lined up at midnight for his 8 a.m. shift Monday in San Diego and still arrived 90 minutes late.

"I hope that it's just startup fits and starts and that it will be a little more streamlined down the road," said Ross Baldwin, the man's boss and president of the TACNA Services Inc.

U.S. citizens and legal residents cannot be denied entry under a partial ban that the Trump administration introduced in March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Going to work, school and medical appointments are deemed essential travel but going to shop, dine or socialize is not.

The crackdown comes after U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it surveyed about 100,000 travelers coming from Mexico by car or on foot and found 63% of U.S. citizens and legal residents traveled for reasons that were not essential.

The agency on Friday began redirecting staff at 14 larger crossings in California, Arizona and Texas to get people through quickly on weekday mornings, when essential travel is heaviest, leading to big backups on the weekends.

On Tuesday, traffic was unusually light, with pedestrians wearing masks and keeping a short distance from each other. Weekend and weeknight delays are expected to grow, affecting people going to the beach or a restaurant. Waits soared across the border last weekend, with California crossings hit hardest.

The measures don't apply on the Canadian border, which is also subject to the nonessential travel ban. Air travel isn't affected.

Anne Maricich, deputy director of CBP field operations in San Diego, said the wait in California peaked at six hours by the agency's count. Witnesses reported longer waits.

Before the pandemic, about 200,000 people a day entered the U.S. at California crossings with Mexico, according to CBP. The daily average plunged to about 70,000 people after the ban was announced in March but has since climbed to about 120,000.

CBP is emphasizing public health considerations.

"We need people to think twice about nonessential travel and to ask themselves if the travel is worth risking their lives and the lives of others," CBP spokesman Rusty Payne said.