Mexico Suspends Immigration Fee at Northern Border Sandra Dibble - U-T San Diego
go to original November 19, 2014

An immigration checkpoint for pedestrians entering Tijuana through the the Otay Mesa port of entry. The checkpoint had been in place since Nov. 1, but was taken down on Tuesday. (Sandra Dibble)

TIJUANA — Reversing a recent initiative at the Otay Mesa pedestrian border crossing, Mexican immigration authorities won’t be asking that foreigners show a passport and say how long they plan to stay in Mexico.

Rodulfo Figueroa Pacheco, head of the Baja California office of Mexico’s National Migration Institute, confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that it would be back to business as usual at the port, where some 6,000 people cross southbound on foot on any given day. The foot-bound visitors can voluntarily register with Mexican immigration authorities, but won’t be asked to do so, he said.

“People didn’t quite get what we were doing,” Figueroa said. “There was a consensus that there was a lack of understanding of the new practice at the border,” he said. “In an effort to cause as little disruption to the system we’ve re-evaluated the new configuration of the port.”

The about-face follows a flurry of protests by Baja California business and political leaders who feared the demands - which included a $23 fee for those staying longer than seven days - would deter visitors.

Read the rest at U-T San Diego

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