Officials To Close Lanes At San Ysidro, Otay Mesa Ports Of Entry

SAN YSIDRO, CA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials will shut down several lanes of traffic beginning Tuesday morning at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry to install equipment in preparation for the arrival of the migrant caravan, the agency said.

Beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday, the agency will shut down three northbound lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and one lane at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

The lanes will be closed to install equipment "in preparation for the migrant caravan and the potential safety and security risk that it could cause," the agency said in a statement.

On Thursday, 1,100 Marines from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton were deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border to support border security, mainly by installing concertina wire and pre-positioning jersey barriers, barricades and fencing under Operation Secure Line.

"CBP has been and will continue to prepare for the potential arrival of thousands of people migrating in a caravan heading towards the border of the United States," Pete Flores, director of San Diego field operations for Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.

Customs and Border Protection officials recommended that motorists crossing from Tijuana into San Diego should expected increased wait times because of the lane closures.

The closures are expected to last "until sometime after people in the caravan arrive to the border," the agency said.

On Thursday, a group of 5,000 migrants, mostly from Honduras, voted to proceed from Mexico City to Tijuana. It was unclear when they might reach the U.S. border.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock