New ID requirements not lengthening border wait By Angelica Martinez
SAN DIEGO – The new identification requirements for U.S. citizens did not disrupt the morning commute Thursday
at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the nation's busiest border crossing, officials said.
Thursday was the first day passports or proof of citizenship were required of U.S. citizens and Canadians entering
the United States from Mexico and Canada.
“It looks like the word got out,” said Vince Bond, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection in San Diego.
All 24 lanes were open and motorists waited about an hour to an hour and ½ to get across the border into the
United States. Bond said the wait time was about the same as it was for motorists on Wednesday.
An informal survey conducted Thursday by border officials determined that the majority – 82 percent – of U.S. and
Canadian citizens crossing the U.S.-Mexico border had a passport or a birth certificate Thursday, in addition to a
government-issued identification card, Bond said.
Bond said border officials are “exercising flexibility” with American and Canadian motorists who did not have all of
their documents, letting them know about the new requirements but allowing them to pass after checking their
identification.
Permanent resident aliens and Mexican nationals are not required to show a passports or birth certificates, just their
immigration documents, as the rules governing their entry to the United States have not changed.