SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — San Ysidro Boulevard north of the port of entry is home to dozens of stores selling everything from shoes to blankets to perfume. And according to the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce, all continue to be impacted by long waits at the border.
“It’s not just about trade, it’s about our way of life,” said Jason Wells, executive director of the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce. “It’s kids going to school, families seeing each other, people getting medical help, employees and employers.”
Wells explained that the long wait times continue to be a detriment to the quality of life in San Ysidro.
“Every aspect of our lives in this binational region is affected by this border crossing.”
Wells said he was involved in planning the intersection’s conversion project more than 10 years ago and is still awaiting results.
According to him, Customs and Border Protection promised to make fast crossing times a priority.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t seen a full introduction of what we built there. Double-stacked booths have never existed, although each booth is equipped to be double-stacked,” Wells said.
According to CBP, staffing shortages are the problem — something Wells doesn’t buy.
“I have been involved in the planning of this port of entry for the past 17 years. I can guarantee you that the government has not scheduled a port of entry without scheduling personnel that CBP has requested,” Wells said. “Have you had enough? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s not an issue we should be helpless in the face of as a community. It’s a management issue.”
Wells and Merchants Border Report said long waits at the border are a problem, but opening Ped West, the second pedestrian border crossing at the port of entry, should also be a priority.
The facility has been closed since the pandemic began more than two and a half years ago.
“I’m going to be traveling to Mexico City in two weeks, and one of the issues we’re addressing is that the Mexican federal government is putting pressure on the US to oust West,” Wells said. “They also invested in ‘Chaparral’ on the Mexican side. It’s their people who try to go to work and have to wait two hours, have to work an eight-hour shift and then have to come home.”
Wells said putting pressure on CBP hasn’t resulted in Ped West opening or reducing lines at the San Ysidro port of entry.
He wants the city of San Diego and the area’s congressional delegation to do more to help San Ysidro business owners.
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