COMPUTERIZED BORDER CROSSING SYSTEM COMES TO SAN DIEGO The INS is preparing to implement a computerized border crossing system at San Ysidro, California, the busiest post on the 2000-mile border with Mexico. The system, which has already been implemented at Otay Mesa, just east of San Ysidro, and El Paso, Texas, is designed to provide a quicker way of crossing the border.
At a traditional border crossing, people wait in cars - at San Ysidro sometimes the wait is over an hour - and are inspected by INS agents. With the computerized system, travelers will be able to swipe a magnetized card at the border and drive on, a process that will take less than one minute. To participate in the program applicants must pay a yearly fee of $129, pass a criminal background check, and provide verification of where they live and work. A receiver will be place in the car, which will signal a computer at the border. The computer at the border will show photos and other identifying information about the participant, who will then swipe his card and drive on.
Officials hope that as many as 12,000 of the 43,000 people who cross the border at San Ysidro will made use of the new system. While participants in the new system will have gone through a background clearance, the INS will continue to randomly search vehicles, meanings that those who use the new lanes will likely be searched more often than those who use the traditional lanes. However, if the experience at Otay Mesa and El Paso is any indication, there will be few cases of people engaged in illegal activities using the special lanes – more than one million people have used the system at Otay Mesa, and officials have found no cases of smuggling.
The INS plans to implement similar systems at other ports of entry along the Mexican border over the next few years. < Back | Next > Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. | 
