The Papal Visit : Papal Digest : Expected Surge Is Just a Trickle at Border

Because of the papal visit, U.S. immigration authorities were braced for a surge of border crossings Tuesday. But only a “minuscule” trickle of Mexican visitors headed north to see the pontiff in the City of Angels, officials reported.

“If anything, traffic is light for what we were prepared for,” said Clifton Rogers, deputy district director for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in Los Angeles.

And prepared they were. Three extra inspection lanes were staffed at the main port of entry at San Ysidro, so motorists arriving from Tijuana had a rare treat--they only had to wait in line two or three minutes instead of the usual half-hour or more.