Trip Home to Mexico Isn’t Easy, Post-9/11

Last year, members of the Guerrero family canceled their annual Christmas flight to Guadalajara, scared off by the events of Sept. 11. This year, they -- like thousands of other immigrants from Mexico -- will resume the holiday tradition.

But they’ll be driving.

Worried about security and fearing that they lack proper identification, many Southern California families that travel to their hometowns in Mexico for the holidays are shunning airports this year and making the trip by bus or car, a grueling and sometimes risky ride.

“For us, it just made sense,” said Antonio Guerrero, 37, a Santa Ana construction worker, who planned to take a bus to Tijuana with his family and borrow a friend’s car for the drive to Guadalajara, a 40-hour haul. “My wife got scared of the airports,” he said. “All those lines they show on television.”

Mexicans throughout the United States return to their hometowns at Christmas to celebrate with relatives, sometimes doubling or tripling the size of a town. The Mexican government estimates that more than 1 million people will return this holiday season.

The tradition is so strong that some Southland school districts have lengthened the winter break to accommodate students traveling back to Mexico with their families. In Mexico, families often squeeze the major events of the year -- confirmations, weddings, parades -- into the holiday season so relatives from El Norte can be present. Cars with plates from California, Texas and Illinois line hometown streets.

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, continue to affect the annual exodus. Airport security has scared off travelers to Mexico, particularly some in Orange County who feel that going to Los Angeles International Airport just isn’t worth it. They would rather go to Tijuana and catch a plane or simply drive from there.

“Last year, people didn’t move,” said Marcela Prado, a Santa Ana travel agent. “This year, people are opting for land travel.”

For airline tickets, “we’ve seen a 40% drop in sales,” she added. “The airport revisions are making people nervous. People would rather go to Tijuana and fly, or go in a car. Either way is less expensive and less hassle.”

The Mexican deputy consul in Santa Ana, Alberto Bernal, said his office has talked to many Mexicans who fear they would be headed for trouble at LAX. He said they typically want to find out how to obtain additional identification before buying airline tickets.

“It’s a logical fear because there may be people who don’t have identification or don’t have enough of it and they don’t know what to expect at the airport,” he said.

Marta Madrigal of Garden Grove opted to take a bus to the Tijuana airport for the first time instead of heading to LAX.

“I don’t care about heavy [inspections] of our luggage, because it’s just clothes inside. But I do worry about the rest. I’m afraid the plane is going to fall from the sky,” said Madrigal, who boarded a bus early Friday afternoon in Santa Ana for a 6:05 p.m. flight out of Tijuana, where she and 11 relatives would head off to Guadalajara and Michoacan to visit relatives.

As for the driving option, the Mexican government expects to issue 240,000 permits for cars entering the country during the Christmas season, about 20% more than last year, said Mario Perez, Los Angeles representative for Paisano, a Mexican government program that helps travelers.

In addition, the Mexican government nearly doubled the number of border workers by adding 600 employees to process temporary passes for automobiles entering the country, he said.

Among immigrants who plan to drive, there is a nagging fear that during their trip they will run into Mexican officials who want to extort bribes from them. Cartoons in Mexican newspapers depict the immigrants running from the police as they make their way from the United States to their hometowns. President Vicente Fox has taken measures to cut down on bribes. But doubts linger.

“People are afraid of flying. You can’t blame them. But then they may be faced with the famous mordidas,” said Santa Ana travel agent Fernando Arenado, using the Mexican word for bribes.

Many are perfectly willing to fly -- as long as the trip starts south of the border.

At Acapulco Travel, agent Luis Arenado has been successful selling airline tickets from Tijuana to other parts of Mexico.

He said his Tijuana departures cost $50 to $100 less than an LAX flight, even after customers buy a $22 round-trip bus ticket to the Tijuana airport from Santa Ana.

“In Orange County, we are already halfway to San Diego,” he said. “So what is the point of going to an airport with heightened security and high-priced tickets?”