In 2016, when the new pedestrian border crossing known as PedWest opened in San Ysidro, officials hailed it as a true game-changer.
"One cannot exaggerate the significance of the largest-ever pedestrian expansion to the busiest land border crossing in the Western hemisphere," said Denise Turner Roth, the previous administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration.
PedWest was part of a $740 million expansion to the San Ysidro Port of Entry. It would be open 24/7, ease cross-border traffic, reduce border wait times and boost the local economy.
But it’s now been more than four years since PedWest has been fully operational. And there is no sign of it reopening any time soon.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) closed the crossing at the onset of the pandemic in April 2020, when restrictions on nonessential travel along the U.S.-Mexico border went into effect.
Those restrictions were lifted in November 2021. But PedWest remained closed.
The prolonged closure devastated San Ysidro’s economy. More than 200 businesses permanently shut down during the pandemic, according to the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce.
Now, PedWest is only open for northbound travel between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m.; and for southbound travel between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m.
While they appreciate the partial reopening, local business leaders say the closure has done lasting damage to the binational economy.
"Every hour that someone is waiting is an hour that person is not spending their money somewhere else," said Kenia Zamarripa, the vice president of international and public affairs for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. "If you took an hour to cross, you’re no longer stopping at Starbucks or your local convenience store."
The impact goes far beyond San Ysidro, Zamarripa said. Long border waits cause people to show up late to work, or not at all. The result is billions of dollars in higher costs and lost productivity each year.
"It doesn’t matter whether you cross the border or not," Zamarripa said. "The economic impact is getting to you."
In recent years, CBP officials have said the surge in illegal immigration prevented the agency from fully reopening PedWest. The influx of migration meant CBP had to divert personnel from the crossing to assist Border Patrol.
But crossings have dropped significantly in recent months.
On Thursday, Acting CBP Commissioner Troy A. Miller visited San Diego to highlight the agency’s efforts to slow the flow of drugs into the country. When asked about the PedWest closure, Miller told reporters he’s requested additional funding from Congress.
"We continue to ask for additional resources for San Ysidro specifically and along the southwest border in general," he said.
But Miller didn’t offer any sort of timeline for a full reopening.
