Thousands Expected to Travel From Baja; Border Jam Unlikely

In his 32 years as a priest, Monsignor Sergio de la Cerda said he has seen two pontiffs--John XXIII and Paul VI, both of whom he viewed while a student in Rome. Now, De la Cerda--the vicar general of the sprawling Diocese of Tijuana--is eagerly awaiting a trip this week to Los Angeles, where he plans to see Pope John Paul II.

“For a Catholic, to see the Holy Father, even it means just catching sight of him from far away, is a great privilege,” De la Cerda explained during a brief interview at his office here. “It’s never the same to see him on television; to see him personally is a very enriching experience.”

The priest is one of the thousands of Roman Catholics from the Mexican border state of Baja California who are expected to travel to Los Angeles this week in an effort to see the Holy Father. The turnout, however, is not expected to be heavy enough to pose a problem for U.S. border authorities, who will monitor the traffic in an effort to avoid major tie-ups at the major ports of entry.

“We’re not anticipating any huge increase in traffic,” said James Turnage, district director for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in Los Angeles. “I think it’s going to be modest.”

Officials here also say that a traffic logjam is unlikely.

Many Saw Pope in ’79

Though Catholicism is Mexico’s major religion and the Pope’s visit to the United States has been front-page news here, many Mexican Catholics were able to see the pontiff during his visit in January 1979 to Mexico--an event, many point out proudly, that occurred during John Paul’s first visit abroad as Pope. On that occasion, the pontiff celebrated a Mass before tens of thousands at the much-revered shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, on the outskirts of Mexico City.

“That’s when everyone went to see him,” said Father Eduardo Martinez, who is on the diocesan staff here.

Alfonso Bustamante, president of Tijuana’s Tourism and Conventions Bureau, predicted that perhaps 2,000 to 4,000 people may make the trip from Tijuana to Los Angeles in hopes of glimpsing the Pope. “A lot of people don’t have the papers to go,” noted Bustamante, but the Los Angeles area’s huge illegal alien population may turn out in force.

An increase of a few thousand people is hardly measurable at the huge border-crossing complex at San Ysidro, where an average of almost 100,000 people a day were inspected last year before entering the United States. About 30,000 vehicles cross on the average daily.

U.S. officials say that San Ysidro is the busiest border crossing in the world. At times, it has played host to some of the world’s most monumental traffic jams. Even on good days, delays of an hour or more while awaiting inspection at the border are not unusual for motorists arriving from Mexico.

But authorities vow that severe traffic backups won’t occur this time. However, the papal visit does coincide with the Sept. 15-16 celebration of Mexican Independence Day, which is normally a busy day at the border, a time when many Mexican residents drive north to visit relatives in the United States.

In preparation for the holiday, streets here are already bedecked in Mexican flags and billboards touting presidential accomplishments appear more prevalent.

Border Staff to Grow

Because of the anticipated holiday traffic, U.S. officials say that they will increase staff and open as many as six additional inspection lanes at the San Ysidro crossing on Tuesday evening and Wednesday. Normally, only 12 of the 24 lanes are open for weekday traffic--a situation that has often angered motorists, merchants and others frustrated by the delays that have become endemic at San Ysidro.

U.S. officials say they have no plans to open additional lanes at San Ysidro specifically because of the papal visit.

However, authorities promise that they will be monitoring the situation closely; if an unexpected surge of traffic develops, officials say they are ready to put on additional overtime staff and quickly open additional lanes to traffic.

“We’ll add on whatever we need to in order to keep the traffic moving,” Turnage said.

Of those planning to visit from Baja California, a few lucky visitors--such as De la Cerda and Tijuana Bishop Emilio Carlos Berlie--have tickets to the papal masses in Los Angeles. About 300 tickets were distributed to the dioceses of Tijuana and Mexicali.

“I am going . . . as a sign of collegiality between the bishops of Mexico and the United States,” Berlie, whose diocese includes about 2 million people, said in an interview. “It is also a sign of our admiration for the Holy Father and for his teachings.”