SAN DIEGO — Customs and Border Protection officials plan to reopen the Pedestrian West border crossing January 4.
The closure last month was in response to a surge in migrants crossing the southern border. It had a major impact on wait times and businesses during the holiday season.
“It was really slow for us, especially since Ped west was closed," said Carolina Lin, Carolin Shoes.
Businesses along San Ysidro Boulevard are struggling to catch up after an excruciatingly slow holiday period.
“We had a very small influx of customer com. Many didn’t feel the necessity to come cross the border, caused why wait 4-5 hours to cross the border," said Lin.
Lin says her store saw 30% fewer customers during the holidays and says they were forced to discount most of their inventory.
“We did have to cut a lot of prices because we do have to compete with a lot of companies around our area. To be able to compete with them, we do need to cut our prices so that we can have more customers come into our store. Trying to clear out our inventory is going to be a little bit challenging," she added.
Businesses are hoping to make up some of what they lost soon as Ped West border crossing reopens.
CBP officials say the facility’s northbound operations will be open seven days a week, from 6am to 2pm. Southbound operations will be open from 3pm to 11pm.
“This reopening is coming a little later than expected, later than what we would want. But any reopening is always welcomed by the business community," said Joaquin Luken, Executive Director, Smart Border Coalition. Luken says the closure hurt small businesses on both sides of the border. “The last few weeks could be a make or break for businesses.”
The Ped West crossing closed in September of last year, so CBP could redirect resources to processing migrants arriving at different spots along the southern border.
It reopened in November but was shut down again in early December to deal with a surge in border crossings.
A slight decrease in migrant numbers led officials to reopen it.
In a statement, CBP officials say:
“CBP will continue to prioritize our border security mission as necessary in response to this evolving situation. We continue to assess security situations, adjust our operational plans, and deploy resources to maximize enforcement efforts against those noncitizens who do not use lawful pathways or processes – such as scheduling an appointment via CBP One™ – and those without a legal basis to remain in the United States."
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