Kurt Honold Morales, Secretary of Economy and Innovation was invited as a guest to the KBPS show “Intercambio: A conversation on the cross-border economy” where they spoke about the challenges of the San Ysidro border crossing and possible improvements. This event took place at Southwestern College on Tuesday, June 28.

The state official highlighted the far-reaching infrastructure and urban mobility projects that are promoted with the willingness of many actors of the San Diego-Ensenada ferry, the trolley, and the Otay II Border Crossing. He also emphasized the importance of speeding up border crossings considering the negative impact it has on the quality of life of those who waste their time waiting in line.

San Ysidro is the most dynamic border crossing and its waiting times have increased exponentially, impacting everything from delivery routes to multinational manufacturing industries and all the way to people who cross every day for work.

The KBPS reporter, Gustavo Solís, spoke about the relation between the long waiting lines and the current focus on cross-border security which has blocked the flow of goods and services between the two countries, creating a delay with consequences in both sides of the border. Most people do not know how far this interrelationship goes in terms of economy and culture.

With a straightforward landscape of growth supported on returning operations from Asia, current infrastructure and future projects are not able to solve these problems by themselves, which is why technological innovation on cross-border ports and an increase in immigration personnel in customs is so important as well as government commitments and, above all, a promotion of initiatives by local and federal entities. All the participants, which included Denice García, head of the San Diego Council Supervisory, Nora Vargas; Ernesto Bravo, President of the Western Division of Tecma; Joe Smith, Vice President of Global Property Services, and Paola Avila, head of the Mayor’s, Todd Gloria, Office, agreed.

Lastly, Honold Morales stated that there is a clear commitment by Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda to take advantage of the opportunities of the CaliBaja region, especially with infrastructure projects that share this vision.

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