More than 250 people a day are using the new SENTRI office in San Ysidro to inquire, start or complete their application for border crossing fast passes, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.

"We have exceeded our expectations for the SENTRI enrollment center but continue to maximize the number of appointments," said U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokeswoman Jacqueline Wasiluk.

The SENTRI office next to the San Ysidro Port of Entry is handling about 165 appointments daily. More than half are for people who have completed their online application and need to be interviewed to enroll or renew their participation in the program, Wasiluk said.

An additional 90 people walk into the office on East San Ysidro Boulevard without appointments requesting information and other help, she said.

The new SENTRI office is enrolling only pedestrians and is not inspecting vehicles.

"Due to construction at the San Ysidro port of entry, at this time, there is no space for vehicles, and all vehicle inspections and registrations continue to take place at the Otay Mesa SENTRI center," Wasiluk said.

"There are no immediate plans to change the services being offered," she said.

Increasing pedestrian enrollment is just fine with the South County Economic Development Council. The nonprofit drew attention to low usage of the pedestrian SENTRI lane at San Ysidro last year.

The South County council polled nearly 1,200 pedestrian border crossers last summer and found that most had one reason or another for not enrolling in the pedestrian SENTRI. Many did not know about the program or think they were eligible or could afford it.

Enrollment in the program costs $122.25 for five years of membership.

Only 3 percent of pedestrians who cross the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry are SENTRI members, compared to nearly 30 percent for vehicle users, Wasiluk said. At the Otay Mesa port of entry, just 3.5 percent of pedestrians are SENTRI users, compared to 24 percent of vehicle users, she said.

Cindy Gompper-Graves, the council's chief executive officer, praised the move to open the SENTRI office in San Ysidro.

"There was definitely a need to make it easier for pedestrian crossers to enroll in the SENTRI program," she said.

"To CBP's credit, when the opportunity to serve these people was brought up they responded positively to it," she said.

The Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) program allows pre-screened motorists and pedestrians to use special lanes to expedite their crossing, which in regular lanes can take hours.

The SENTRI program relies on high-tech card and license plate readers and computers. Applicants must pass background checks, submit fingerprints and be interviewed by a CBP officer. Their cars are also checked.

The SENTRI office in Otay Mesa, which opened in 1995, handles an average of 4,200 appointments each month, Wasiluk said. More information about the SENTRI program, including information about who is eligible and how to apply, can be found at www.sentri.gov

Leonel.sanchez@sandiegored.com