SAN DIEGO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials are announcing that the Otay Mesa port of entry will begin operating 24 hours a day beginning at 6 a.m. on June 20.
This is a change to the passenger portion of the port of entry only; there are no changes to the cargo/commercial facility hours.
“Previously, CBP scaled staffing as traffic volumes decreased drastically at the Otay Mesa border crossing because of COVID-19 and the travel restrictions,” said CBP Director of Field Operations for San Diego, Pete Flores. “We continued to monitor traffic volumes and are now proactively increasing the hours of operation at Otay Mesa even though the travel restrictions remain.”
On May 3, CBP officials began operating the Otay Mesa port of entry from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. At that time, CBP officials have experienced sustained decreases in the volume of northbound traffic arriving at the Otay Mesa passenger port of entry. The week of March 2 compared to week of April 19, CBP officials saw a 44% decrease in vehicle traffic and a 68% decrease in pedestrians.
CBP officials remind travelers that temporary restrictions that limit entry at the U.S. northern and southern land borders to persons engaged in essential travel, including lawful trade, emergency response, and public health purposes, remain in effect.
Essential travel includes, but is not limited to:
- U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents returning to the United States;
- Individuals traveling to receive medical treatment;
- Individuals traveling to attend educational institutions;
- Individuals traveling to work in the United States;
- Individuals traveling for emergency response and public health purposes;
- Individuals engaged in lawful cross-border trade (truck drivers);
- Individuals engaged in official government travel or diplomatic travel;
- Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the spouses and children of members of the U.S. Armed Forces, returning to the United States; and
- Individuals engaged in military-related travel or operations.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.