| | |  Travel & Outdoors 
Checkpoint Causing Delays into Mexico
 Larry Blaskey - Douglas Dispatch
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February 11, 2010
| | This woman struggles to get across Pan American as cars line up all the way down 5th waiting to cross the border. | |
Long lines have been the rule when traveling from Mexico into the United States through the Douglas Port of Entry, but with recent changes made by Mexico, the lines getting back into Mexico are now longer and more time consuming.
Pan American and Fifth Street have become a mess of cars and trucks struggling to make their way back into Mexico through a single lane ever since Mexico put up checkpoints in early January.
Mexico now has set up Primary and Secondary checkpoints across the boarder looking for guns, cash and other contraband, said Mayor Dr. Michael Gomez.
The checkpoints began in January, and we informed in December that they were to begin.
Douglas City Manager Curtis Shook said that the time one can spend in line to go to Mexico could be determined by who is doing the checking. If the Mexican Army is conducting the checkpoint examinations, they have a tendency to be more thorough, and it takes much longer to get through.
I wish we could do something but we have very little control in this instance.
The Mexican Government set up the checkpoints and there is nothing we can do except make it as safe as possible on this side. But, Pan American is a state road, so there is very little change we can make. We have contacted the DPS, since they have authority over the road. But we were told they have had budget cutbacks and dont have the personnel.
The concerns for the city is not only the long lines, but the accidents, people failing to yield and even a few fist fights which have broken out while waiting to get into Mexico.
We are, of course, concerned about the waits and long lines which are impacting merchants along 5th Street and Pan American, but also the impact it is having on our law enforcement. We are having to use nearly all our officers to help with traffic control on Pan American when the lines get long, Mayor Gomez said.
Shook said there is a real concern about the impact policing these long lines is having on law enforcement ad protection of Douglas.
The city is pushing for the building of 3rd Street, which then would connect, to Chino Road. It provide another route to the Port of Entry, even though the wait time may not change because there will still only be one lane open at the Port going into Mexico.
Shook said that Chief Melis has had discussions with Mexico law enforcement and they are hopeful that checkpoint times may improve in the future. |
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