Pedestrians who cross the border at San Ysidro are far more likely to be U.S. citizens than four years ago, are coming to the U.S. more often because of work, and encountering shorter wait times, according to a report to be delivered Thursday to a San Diego City Council committee.
The survey of 700 pedestrians by the South County Economic Development Council found that 56 percent of the people walking through the San Ysidro Port of Entry were U.S. citizens, compared to 38 percent in 2011.
Cindy Gompper-Graves, president of the council, said on Friday that the report is the first step in a yearlong survey. The council has a goal of interviewing 5,000 pedestrians.
The portion of Mexican citizens dropped from 44 percent four years ago to 26 percent this year, according to the early results.
The development council also found that 28 percent of pedestrians crossed for business or work purposes, compared to 23 percent in 2011. Another 24 percent were going to visit family or friends, with 18 percent shopping.
Four years ago, a plurality of pedestrian border crossers, 31 percent, were planning to shop.
The study also found that wait times have dropped.
The average wait time this year for walking across the border was 40 minutes, compared to 52 minutes in 2011. The median wait time was 25 minutes, compared to 41 minutes four years ago.
Crossing times were also less for people belonging to an expedited processing program.
The survey also found that, in 2015, 53 percent of pedestrian border crossers at San Ysidro were male, 76 percent were coming from Tijuana and 52 percent crossed at least a few times a week.
