In Tijuana, Mexico, drones captured videos of men who appear to be border officials running a corrupt "express pass" scheme, taking bribes from drivers seeking to cross into San Diego skipping the line, without the usual two- to three-hour wait.
The images, shared by CBS 8 San Diego, show men in traffic vests and uniforms using traffic cones to stop vehicles, interacting with drivers, and redirecting some to the front of the line. Many people have expressed their frustration over the scheme.
From the sky, a drone video captured an alleged scheme happening on the Mexico side of the border near the Port of Entry. https://t.co/vd9wufSpXW
— CBS 8 San Diego (@CBS8) January 4, 2025
"I don't think that's fair," Misael García told the local news outlet. "It makes me angry because people take like two or three hours to get across the border."
It is unknown when the drone videos were taken, but according to Tijuana Press editor and director Vicente Calderon, the scheme is not new. "This video shows what many people [are ]complaining about, that the authorities are involved in taking bribes," he said. "They are charging between $20 and $40 to allow people to cut in line."
Uniradio Informa shared similar videos taken by frustrated witnesses back in April, 2024. "They didn't even wait for three minutes," one of the witnesses claimed.
Border communities have long led intertwined lives between the United States and Mexico, with some residents crossing the international border daily—or even multiple times a day—due to work or family obligations.
While the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) offers an official expedited entry pass for frequent travelers called the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI), its $120 non-refundable fee per passenger and selective approval process keep many frequent border crossers from obtaining it.
Some people opt to skip the traffic and choose to walk across the border using pedestrian crossings. However, these crossings are harder to monitor and can still take several hours to navigate, depending on the day. According to Calderon, the Tijuana Press has also received complaints from people reporting a similar "express pass" scheme at pedestrian border crossings.
Originally published on Latin Times
