Contemporary Issue

The infinite lines to cross

by Valeria Barajas



Hello everyone!

If, like me, you've also crossed the border between Tijuana and San Diego, you know that crossing is a real challenge. The question, "Como está la línea hoy?" is part of our routine, however, the crossing has become very complicated as well as overwhelming.


Currently, one of the biggest challenges for those of us who cross the border is the endless wait times to cross. What used to be 30-minute lines have become hours-long crossings, during which we wish we were sleeping. According to the article 'Devastating' wait times at Mexico border strain California small businesses, “regular border crossers say wait times are going up, not down. Waits that used to last 30 minutes to an hour on weekdays can now regularly take three to four hours. On several days last December, pedestrians waited six hours or more…” Those who don't cross often might think it's crazy, but those of us who do know it's real, and we know how frustrating it is to spend hours standing and ultimately not make it to class or work.


As a good member of this border community, you should be familiar with the Facebook group "Como esta la linea?", a group where wait times and complaints about the slow process of reaching SD are shared daily. The crossing process as an issue has always had two sides: on the one hand, community members such as students and workers who demand more efficient systems, and on the other, US authorities who insist the long lines are due to security measures. This demonstrates the clash between the two cultures that this issue causes.





The problem of long lines affects all of us who live this adventurous binational life: students, workers, and families. For example, according to CBS News in 2023, hundreds of students cross daily to go to school or university. in San Diego, since studying here offers greater opportunities, even though studying in Tijuana is more comfortable, and since, as the article mentions, “living in Mexico is often more cost-effective and allows them to stay with their families.” However, this problem that has arisen in recent years regarding long lines has meant missing classes or arriving late to the destination.


This is a problem that governments on both sides, as well as schools and businesses, should pay attention to, all those who live along the border. Despite being neighbors and creating a beautiful culture, Tijuana and San Diego don't have the best entry and exit systems.


Living "between two worlds" is incredible; it's a life of adventure, a life of tacos at TJ and shopping at Sephora, but it shouldn't be so exhausting. Maybe one day, crossing won't be such a hassle the night before; maybe one day crossing won't feel like an obstacle to overcome for great opportunities. Until then, or until I get my sentri, we'll continue arriving hours early and with our playlists ready.











Fry, W. (2024, April 24). ‘Devastating’ wait times at Mexico border strain California small businesses. CalMatters, https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2024/04/mexico-border-california/#:~:text=Multiple%20studies%20show%20immigrants%20like,expensive%20cities%20in%20the%20nation

Fichten, L. (2024, May 11). Thousands of students cross the border from Mexico to U.S. for school. Some are now set to graduate. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transborder-students-us-mexico-graduate/



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Exploring Blogging

Image
 Reading and writing by Valeria Barajas " Books Reading " by Aaron Burden / CC0 1.0 Hello everyone! My name is Valeria. This is my first week of college, and this is my first blog for this RWS 100 community, which I'm both excited and nervous about. I'm currently majoring in biochemistry , but it's been a crazy first week, so I'm considering switching to a bio BS. In the future, I hope to attend medical school and become a surgeon. I've been interested in medicine since I was a child, and despite it being a long career, I can't imagine myself in any other profession.  Reading and writing experience Throughout my childhood, my mom always tried to instill in me the art of reading, but I didn't understand it. I didn't like reading, I was bored a lot, and I would often prefer a movie to a book. I remember we always went to a store called Sanborns in Tijuana, and there were a lot of books. I always wanted a different one because it was based o...
Read more

Living Between Two Worlds

Image
 Living Between Two Worlds by Valeria Barajas Photo by Magdiel Diaz on Pexels.com Hello again! Today I want to start with the topic of life on the border. For me, living between Tijuana and San Diego border has been a unique and very enriching experience. I spend Monday through Friday in San Diego, where I studied, and every Friday after school I return to Tijuana to spend the weekend with my family and friends. Experiencing different cultures and enjoying the opportunities offered by both places has taught me a lot about who I am and how I relate to the world. In this blog, I want to share what it's really like to live between two cities, two countries, and two ways of seeing life, from the everyday to what makes each community special. Crossing the border has become normal for me. I can wake up on a Saturday morning, have breakfast in Tijuana, cross into San Diego to buy something, and still come back for a good night out. I've always said that living between two worlds mea...
Read more

Traditions on the border

Image
 Celebrating two cultures by Valeria Barajas " The Day of the Dead "/ CC0 1.0 When I was a child, my home celebrated American traditions that not all Tijuanense did. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Saint Patrick's Day were very normal, as was waiting for Santa Claus instead of Papá Noel. I always believed we copied traditions from the United States and were cooler for doing so. However, my perspective changed a lot when I started studying at San Ysidro High School . There, I discovered that the border isn't just a place that imitates its neighboring country; it's a place where the traditions of two countries come together and coexist.  " Salute to America 2020, Fourth " by National Archives and Records Administration/ CC0 1.0 My high school was the closest to the border, and because of this, 80% of the students were born to Mexican parents. This is why the school embraced a very beautiful culture, celebrating both Mexican and American tradit...
Read more