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At the border: New rules, same old lines

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U.S. citizens apparently did their homework in preparation for stricter identification requirements at border crossings from Mexico.
Long lines and confusion were expected on the first day of the new rules Thursday, but the flows of pedestrian and vehicular traffic were unchanged, according to federal authorities and media reports.

Under the new rules, citizens wanting to reenter the U.S. must present both proof of identity and proof of citizenship. In the past an oral declaration of citizenship and a driver’s license was usually sufficient.
Many people returning through California’s busiest crossing at San Ysidro came prepared Thursday with passports or wrinkled birth certificates. Those who didn’t were shown leniency by U.S. inspectors.
They were asked a few questions to confirm their identities and then given information sheets about the new rules before being allowed to enter.
At the San Ysidro crossing, where people wait up to two hours to cross the border, the wait times, while still long, were unchanged, officials said.
‘It was really a non-event,’ said Gurdit Dhillon, Southern California director of field operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. ‘We’re ecstatic about that.’
The true test of the new rules, however, could come this weekend as tourists and teenagers flocking to Tijuana bars descend on the border crossing.
Some Tijuana bar owners and merchants have their own theory about why things went so smoothly. Judging by the trickle of tourists at their businesses Thursday, they think people are avoiding trips to Mexico because of confusion about the new rules.
The new requirements mark the start of a transition period before full implementation of standardized entry rules for all land and sea ports of entry in 2009.

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-- Richard Marosi in Tijuana

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