U.S. Aid Sought for Border Cities

Congressional representatives along the U.S.-Mexico border urged the White House on Friday to declare an emergency for U.S. border communities whose commerce has plunged since Sept. 11 because fewer Mexican shoppers are crossing.

Stepped-up searches for car bombs and increased scrutiny of immigration documents at the nation’s entrances have lengthened waiting times, discouraging many customers from coming north to spend money in communities long dependent on a cross-border clientele.

“The tragic events of Sept. 11 and the resulting increased security throughout our nation have affected us all. However, those who live and work along our international borders are feeling the change in our way of life like no other Americans,” said a letter signed by Rep. Bob Filner (D-San Diego) and five House colleagues from border districts in Texas and Arizona.

A state of emergency declaration, normally employed in the aftermath of natural disasters, would make U.S. border communities eligible for low-cost loans and grants. Filner, whose district abuts the border at San Ysidro, made a similar request to Gov. Gray Davis earlier in the week. Davis has yet to decide on the matter, a spokeswoman said.

In addition to emergency aid for border communities, some of which already rank among the poorest in the nation, Filner is seeking funds for additional inspectors to ease the long waits.

“Increased inspections have resulted in longer wait times (sometimes more than four hours), which in turn has discouraged many of the thousands of Mexican citizens who legally cross into the U.S. to shop and conduct business,” the House members wrote.

U.S. immigration officials at the Mexican border said crossings into California have dropped by 30% or more since Sept. 11. Entering has grown more time-consuming as inspectors began checking inside the engine compartments and trunks of most cars. The San Ysidro port of entry, the nation’s busiest, handles 40,000 arriving cars each day. Pedestrian-only lines have swelled to up to a mile long at San Ysidro.

The reduced flow of shoppers has hit hard in downtown Calexico, which sits on the border 120 miles east of San Diego. Business leaders there say some stores have reported a 50% drop in sales because shoppers from Mexicali on the Mexico side stopped crossing.

“It’s pretty bad. People depend on the Mexicali consumer, and they’re afraid to come across and it’s difficult for them to come across because of the tight security, which we totally support,” said Hildy Carrillo-Rivera, executive director of the Calexico Chamber of Commerce.

Carrillo-Rivera said that there was no estimate yet of lost business, but that distress was keenly felt by stores selling more expensive merchandise.

“The economy here is going to go down the drain and we’re going to become a ghost town if we don’t get help,” she said.

The assessment was also gloomy in San Ysidro, where the bulk of customers cross from Mexico. Businesses have reported declines in sales ranging from 40% to 90%.

“Right now, everybody’s coming to us and saying, ‘We need help,’ ” said Carlos Vasquez, who sells Mexican insurance and is president of the San Ysidro Business Assn.