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San Ysidro Port of EntryIt is early May, and at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, located just south of San Diego, California, passenger vehicles were waiting 50 minutes in the Ready Lanes (8 AM PDT) and 55 minutes in the Standard lanes. Passenger vehicles were also waiting 15 minutes in the SENTRI Lanes, and pedestrian wait times were even worse. There was a 100 minute delay to cross from Mexico into the United States in the Ready Lanes, and a 115 minutes delay in the Standard lanes.

Regardless of the fact that the San Ysidro Port of Entry is the largest land border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana (and the busiest land border crossing in the world), these wait times are unacceptable. Having to wait nearly an hour in some cases and two hours in others provides a significant disincentive to cross from the Mexico into the United States, yielding cascading consequences for the U.S. economy and national security.

Gary S. Becker is the Chief Economist for Catalyst Partners, LLC. In this role, Becker offers economic analyses to clients on matters relating to homeland security, including the cost impact of proposed and final rulemakings. He offers advice on how to save money while achieving desired security benefits. Read More