Spring Break Brings Long Lines at the Border

LAREDO, Texas — As the nation begins the Spring Break, Holy Week period, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, Laredo Port of Entry will soon begin to process larger volumes of international travelers to the United States through the South Texas border.  The increase in traffic is due to the upcoming Holy Week (Semana Santa), which is one of the busiest travel periods of the year. 

“With most children already home from school, CBP Laredo Port of Entry management is gearing up to process significant volumes of vehicular traffic for the Spring Break, Holy Week holiday travel season at the Laredo Port of Entry,” said Port Director Albert Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “We continue to advise travelers arriving from Mexico to avail themselves of time-saving facilitation measures such as filing and prepaying their tourist permit applications electronically via the CBP One mobile app.”

The Laredo Port of Entry will implement a variety of effective measures to facilitate a smooth, orderly traffic flow, including electronic tourist permits, and a satellite, off-site I-94 processing facility, located on the ground floor of the Outlet Shoppes of Laredo, across from Rack Room Shoes from Mar. 15 – Mar. 30, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sundays. CBP at Juarez- Lincoln Bridge will be opening additional lanes at the old CBP Import Lot (located below the bridge) starting Tuesday, Mar. 19 on an as-needed basis to process given amounts of vehicular traffic.

U.S. citizens are reminded to bring a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant document, such as a valid U.S. passport, Trusted Traveler Program card, Enhanced Driver’s License, or Enhanced Tribal Card, when re-entering the United States and should be prepared to present a WHTI-compliant document if requested by a CBP Officer during a border inspection. Any non-citizen attempting to enter the United States through illegal means or without appropriate documentation may be subject to expulsion or removal.

CBP encourages all travelers to have their WHTI-compliant entry documents in hand as they approach primary inspection booths and to declare all agricultural items, liquor, and currency or monetary instruments in excess of $10,000.

To help reduce wait times and long lines, travelers can take advantage of facial biometrics and the CBP One™, which is a single portal for CBP mobile applications and services.

Members of the traveling public can monitor Border Wait Times or also obtain the BWT app on their smartphone via Apple App Store and Google Play  so that they can observe the wait times and make an informed decision on which bridge to use. These wait times are updated on an hourly basis.

Also to avoid any potential delays or fines due to travelers bringing prohibited/restricted agricultural items, CBP encourages travelers to declare all agricultural items to a CBP officer upon arrival and before making their journey to consult the Know Before You Go guide.