Calexico Border Issues Committee

elchrist · Posted: 20 Sep 2006 04:00 PM Post subject: Calexico Border Issues Committee

There's a new committee in town. This one deals with the border issues that everyone is experiencing such as looong border wait times.

The first committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 21 at 7:00 AM in Home Town Buffet. It appears that Carlton Hargrave (HTB's owner) is the committee founder.

Might be interesting to pop in and check out what they discuss. Bob Filner will be there too, so it might just end up being a Dem hoorah.

verbal · Posted: 20 Sep 2006 05:01 PM Post subject:

It should be applauded that people are getting together as a committee to find a solution to this problem. Though, there is nothing Bob Filner or any local committee can do to aleviate this problem.

The San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entries have had longer lines for several years now and nothing has changed.

DC will always look at the Border as a National Security issue and not a local economic burden on small border towns.

Though, I would like to add that the walking across lines are straight our ridiculous. There is no reason why it should take that long.

You have a picture ID, passport, visa, or whatever and they ask for and they still take there sweet time. It's not like these INS people have to 'search' anyone or anything. Just look at some documents and ask a question or two. Pathetic.

Plus, it seems that only two agents work at a time. What is the deal with that? Especially when you see 3-4 INS agents sitting behind the x-ray machine. Another 2-3 sitting on the other table just looking at people. Just a worthless waste of resources. But then again, they are not here to accomodate our needs but our 'national security interest.'

elchrist · Posted: 21 Sep 2006 07:27 AM Post subject: Calexico POE Petition

A petition to resolve the border crossing delays of the Calexico Ports of Entry was handed out during this morning's border issues committee meeting:

Petition for the immediate resolution of the pedestrian and vehicular traffic delays at the Calexico Ports of Entry.

We the undersigned are residents, business owners, employees, students, citizens and border crossers who have been dramatically impacted by the horrific delays at the Calexico Ports of Entry. Immediate action is needed to correct the delays in vehicular and pedestrian crossings into the City of Calexico caused by the Immigration Customs Enforcement personnel. Repeated appeals to current and past administrators at the Calexico Ports of Entry have failed to solve this tremendous problem and these unreasonable delays are affecting the lives of students, businesses and everyday folks who wish to cross into the City of Calexico. The undersigned understand the need for security at our Ports of Entry but port security and respect for the needs of border crossers are not mutually exclusive and must be reconciled. Port of Entry personnel must understand the need for an efficient and orderly entry into the United States without jeopardizing national security interests. Record temperatures during the summer complicated the delays. The problems at the Calexico Ports of Entry must be resolved now! We the undersigned are determined to rectify this problem and we will not accept the standard responses which have failed to solve the problem in the past.

I took the liberty to PDF the petition for those interested in printing and distributing it out to those in the community and its surrounding areas.

Download the Calexico POE Petition
http://www.calecia.com/files/images/calexico_poe_petition.pdf

elchrist · Posted: 21 Sep 2006 03:17 PM Post subject: FYI

There will be another "ad hoc" Calexico Border Issues Committee meeting today at 5:00 PM in the Calexico Chamber of Commerce building.

verbal · Posted: 21 Sep 2006 04:30 PM Post subject:

Are these people complaining because they are the ones who are suffering directly or indirectly?

One thing is to complain because you spent 2 hours waiting in line and another is complaining because you have less customers in your store.

elchrist · Posted: 21 Sep 2006 05:16 PM Post subject:

locoinclx

Border Security? What a flawed statement....

Any who, the long lines at the border both on foot and in the car have always been ridiculous... Even pre 911 I remember when on a Saturday morning there would be a one hour line on foot to cross and well god forbid you would cross in the car. Theres nothing new to this problem... the downtown businesses have been going out of business since I can remember. Therefore this issue is two fold.

The first problem, the downtown businesses. It was stated that the city will have a private entity from Arizona analyze the issue and find out ways to save Downtown and make it a great place to go to on any given day. I rather not dwell on this issue until the report from that agency comes out.

The second problem is long lines to cross the border. This will not change, because the US government has better things to worry about than to ease the lines at the border. Why is that?? well think about it this way... The US will fix the problem of long lines at airports and consequently airport security before they fix the problem with long lines from Mexico. The other reason is that the Mexican government will not do anything to fix this problem.

The US can create a new center where there can be numerous agents on the booths working the line at all times of the day, they will not do this because the main problem with the long waits are two things. The first problem is the bottleneck that always evolve at the entrance to the building. The only way to fix this would be to have guards throughout the whole line to see that people don't cut in. as well as having three different lines instead of one line. The second problem is that in order to have a successful and efficient line layout to come to the United States, the Government would have to move the facility for people to come out of the United States to a different area. This would follow the guidelines of what was done in Tijuana.

What Calexico needs to do is to become self sufficient and to support its own interest, not rely solely on the interest of our fellow bothers and sisters from the other side of the border. Once that becomes the priority for the city of Calexico, then we will see our town boom.

chuco boy · Posted: 27 Sep 2006 08:40 PM Post subject: Long Lines

Perhaps all these tunnels were built by disgruntled crossers who were tired of waiting at the line. city calexico and city mexicali should build a private tunnel and by pass the FED bureaucracy.

this country is turning into East Germany.

TEAR DOWN THAT WALL!

CX3 4life · Posted: 03 Oct 2006 06:42 PM Post subject:

on wednesday 10/04/06 @ 3pm there will be a protest at the p.o.e. by citizens who are tired of the long lines. the starting point will be at the orthopedic clinic at 1st and heber, from there they will march to the port of entry. hope it gets some results....

Asesino Koolarrow · Posted: 03 Oct 2006 06:55 PM Post subject:

We should all go sportin' Calecia.com shirts Laughing