San Diego-Tijuana Bridge Gives Hope of Better Border Rafa Fernandez De Castro - Fusion
go to original October 19, 2016

When I arrived in Tijuana last week for the Fusion and Univision RiseUp As One border concert, I anticipated a solid two-hour wait to cross the border into San Diego.

I have memories of crossing the border on foot at the San Ysidro checkpoint (the busiest in the world) and at nearby Otay Mesa (which isn’t much better) to visit my then-girlfriend, who lived in San Diego. Oh, the things we do for love.

It was cheaper to fly to Tijuana then cross into San Diego, but the wait times at the border were usually an hour-plus and the CBP officials, tired and overworked, would often make snarky comments and act like bouncers at a club.

But things were different this time, thanks to a $16 pass I purchased at the Tijuana airport that let me use the Cross Border Xpress (CBX), an enclosed pedestrian skywalk available to people with an airplane ticket.

The state-of-the-art pedestrian bridge, complete with air-conditioning, a duty free shop and friendlier immigration agents, connects the airports in Tijuana and San Diego. It makes the two cities seem closer than ever.

The skywalk looks like something conceived in the early days of the European Union, when there was a push for open borders. The sleek and inviting architecture feels out of place for the U.S.-Mexico border, especially at a time where there are loud calls for walls and razor wire.

Read the rest at Fusion

Photo: Harrison Photographic

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