Are There Longer Lines at the Bridge Due To Sequestration
By
KGNS News
Story Created:
Mar 11, 2013 at 5:44 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Mar 11, 2013
The lines at the bridges to come into the united states have always been an issue with people. The sequestration was put in place last week, but people say they aren't seeing a huge difference yet.
"Five minutes."
"Around 15 minutes."
"Right now, the lines go all the way back to Mexico. sometimes it takes two or four hours to cross." "Normally, I make it in an hour on the bicycle. Sometimes 20-30 minutes. It depends on the traffic on the bridge."
"Although the people we talked to said the wait really isn't that long to get across the bridge, they do tell us the longest waits are in the morning when people are trying to get to work or school."
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napalitano said there was no way around cutting back on border patrol. The number of hours to be reduced equal to 5,000 border patrol agents at the ports of entry. We asked people traveling from Mexico to the U.S if they are prepared to wait longer.
"Yeah, it's going to take longer. Sometimes it takes two hours or more."
U.S Customs started sending out furlough notices on Thursday. Full time employees may lose fourteen days. One woman we spoke to said she comes across to shop for groceries while her children are at school. Since she has a limited time, she is worried these furloughs will prevent her from being able to come across. Another man told us he will likely just start shopping in Mexico.
"Yeah it will effect a lot of tourism. We'd rather buy merchandise over there in order to avoid the lines or traffic."
Roughly $85-billion in budget cuts across the board went into place in addition to the border cuts.
