Pay-for-Entry Express Line at San Ysidro Is Proposed

A pay-for-entry express line at the San Ysidro border crossing that might reduce long waits for those willing to pay $2 is an idea worth studying, says San Diego Chamber of Commerce President Lee Grissom.

Grissom presented the proposal this week in Washington to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Mexican Ambassador Jorge Espinosa and California Sen. Pete Wilson, all of whom said they would explore the idea to see if it’s viable.

“This is not necessarily a chamber position but simply a concept we think is worth exploring,” said Grissom, who was back in his San Diego office on Friday.

“We don’t know about possible legal obstacles or whether this is a good or bad idea, we just want people to look at it,” he said.

Jim Turnage, INS director for the San Diego district, whose responsibilities include the San Ysidro port of entry, said he had only become aware of the proposal on Friday, after reading a newspaper report, and couldn’t comment on the “gate fee” idea.

Grissom said that INS Commissioner Alan Nelson told him in Washington that he would evaluate the proposal. Verne Jarvis, an INS spokesman in the Capitol, told the San Diego Tribune the idea probably wouldn’t go anywhere, saying it could be criticized as discrimination against the poor.

The idea of a pay-for-entry gate originated with people who conduct business in Tijuana and must wait in lines, sometimes as long as two hours, at the busy border crossing, which last year registered about 36 million individuals crossing.

“We’re not trying to punish the poor,” Grissom said, “but the situation is, there is an economic umbilical cord that exists that is important to the well-being of both economies . . . which is really one economy dependent on the other.”

He said the long delays hinder commerce between Mexico and the United States.

In concept, the fees, which would be $2 a trip or $50 monthly, would pay for operating an additional border crossing gate. The money raised would be used to pay for operation of the gate, Grissom said.

Garry Bonelli, a Chamber of Commerce vice president, said Espinosa, the Mexican ambassador, said he would ask the Mexican consulate in Los Angeles to review the idea.