EL PASO, Texas, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. citizens returning from Mexico face long lines and lost time at border stations because of tighter security, The New York Times reported.
Increased questioning by border agents is a special hardship in the twin cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, where many people cross the border twice a day.
Wilda LaBoy, a U.S. citizen, works in Juarez and goes to school in El Paso.
“I arrive late, and they don’t let me in,” she told the Times as she waited in line at the Paso del Norte bridge crossing here. “I miss classes.”
In January, everyone crossing the border will be required to have either a passport or a government photo identification document and proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate. As border stations prepare for the new rules, agents are also checking information more often.
Waiting times at the Canadian border have also increased to as long as three hours. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. -- who held a series of meetings on the border -- said low staffing is the problem.
