SAN YSIDRO
–
Miguel Diaz of Tijuana could not have picked a better morning for his car to break down, if such a thing exists.
The retired maquiladora worker, who typically uses his SENTRI trusted-traveler card to drive into San Diego a couple of times a week, found himself at the pedestrian border crossing yesterday morning with a broken automotive hose in a plastic bag, heading north in hopes of buying a new one.
When he arrived, there were two designated lanes for pedestrians, one of them crowded and the other empty. He flagged down a passing U.S. customs officer, pointed to the empty lane and asked, “Can I use my SENTRI here?”
As of yesterday, the answer was yes. The nation's first permanent pedestrian SENTRI lane, which can be used by all SENTRI pass holders, opened yesterday at the San Ysidro port of entry.
The opening of the permanent lane yesterday coincided with the end of a four-year pilot program that allowed up to 5,000 participants to use a temporary pedestrian SENTRI lane for free. Those who participated must now apply for a regular five-year SENTRI pass to continue using the permanent lane.
Between the lane's opening at 6 a.m. yesterday and 2 p.m., 88 people used it, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said. The lane will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
“It's wonderful,” Diaz, 65, said as he breezed past the long line of border crossers to the inspection booth in a matter of seconds. “It's going to make the crossing time much shorter.”
While border waits in the regular lanes tend to be shorter for those on foot than for those in vehicles, the backup for pedestrians can still be an hour or more. In the SENTRI lanes, participants' citizenship information is immediately displayed on the inspector's computer, streamlining the questioning process.
Yesterday, even during the peak early-morning commute, there was no wait for pedestrians in the SENTRI lane, said Robert Hood, deputy assistant director for the Otay Mesa port of entry and in charge of SENTRI enrollment for both ports.
Hood said there are more than 100,000 registered SENTRI users in the San Diego-Tijuana region. In addition to the pedestrian lane at the San Ysidro port of entry, there are four vehicle lanes used for SENTRI participants at San Ysidro, two of them dedicated lanes. One lane is now kept open around the clock. SENTRI participants may now use both the vehicle lanes and the pedestrian lane, which until yesterday morning had been reserved for those participating in the pilot program. A SENTRI pass costs $122.25, is valid for five years and requires a background check, fingerprints and an interview with a Customs and Border Protection official.
New SENTRI cards are being issued with radio-frequency technology that allows the cards to be read from a distance. The cards will be considered acceptable travel documents in lieu of passports for U.S. citizens entering by land from Mexico when new rules take effect June 1.
Prospective participants may apply by visiting cbp.gov/travel.
Leslie Berestein: (619) 542-4579; leslie.berestein@uniontrib.com
