SAN DIEGO — Mexican immigration officers will check travel documents for travelers crossing the U.S-Mexico border, part of a new pilot program launched at the San Ysidro Port of Entry this week.
Some immigration advocates have already started voicing concerns.
U.S. border authorities previously checked San Diego-bound travelers but now Mexican and U.S. officers will do the checks.
Mexican officials said it would speed up the process by filtering out people who don't have valid documents.
"This policy is going to wreak havoc on the lives of real human beings, families, young children," said Margaret Cargioli, the directing attorney at Immigrant Defenders Law Center.
Cargioli also sits on the San Diego Immigrant Rights Commission advisory board. She said the new change violates human rights and will create a barrier for those fleeing their countries.
"Many people from all over the world, such as Russia, Haiti, and Venezuela, come through the U.S. southern border because they can't get to the U.S. by other means," she said.
CBS 8 reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who declined a request for comment.
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