The City of El Paso signed an agreement with the U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) organization at the end of January of this year.
The plan was to use $1.5 million of city money to fund overtime pay for customs officers in order to shorten waiting time at our international bridges.
The Times quoted the the CBP port director as saying:
“The goal is to get the wait times down to 15 minutes and no more than 30 minutes. We can’t go out and guarantee that. But the goal is to keep the wait times low and manageable.”
And the answer is
The folks over at Newspapertree.com post a “bridge wait times” section on their home page.
The CBP reported numbers for April 12, 2014 at 3:41 PM show the wait time at the Cordova bridge (aka Bridge of the Americas and free bridge) to be 50 minutes.
The user submitted passenger data section shows a 117 minute wait at 7:15 AM on the same day and 127 minutes at 12:49 PM.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
I seem to recall predicting something like this. I don’t anticipate any improvement in wait times under the present circumstances. We really need to get Congress to rescind the Patriot Act, and we need to open these borders.
LikeLike
A sensible response – as opposed to the blatantly racist one from Homeowner.
If all of that was a joke, or an attempt at a humorous post, let’s hope he gets his money back for that comedy class.
LikeLike
What is “racist” from my post?
Please inform us.
Since I have several children that ARE Mexicans . . . living . . . in Mexico. (and several girlfriends)
And yes, Mexicans from Mexico are called. . . Mexicans.
Oh, please inform us and play the Race Card.
Race doesnt have anything to do with a Border that is supposed . . . . to be a . . . BORDER.
If China was just south of El Paso, then they would be Chinese. So what. A border is a border.
Oh, please inform us !
I was almost born in Mexico, myself.
And 3 generations born in El Paso, a few hundred feet from the border.
LikeLike
I dont believe in US or ANY city paying any part of Federal employees, or this “Overtime” so they can do their jobs better or faster.
Is the Net Gain really more than the 1.5 million spent?
How would the City ever know?
Might as well burn the 1.5 million on an alter to a Greek God and see if that makes the City more money.
Everyone has ALWAYS known that if you want to cross, you GET in line earlier. Seems like, if the lines speed up, the Mexicans will just arrive later to the bridge expecting to cross.
Seems like they might just as well, use that 1.5 million a year, to pay off the Baseball stadium in half the time and save the taxpayers 40 million dollars.
Savings. . . . does equal benefits.
(As well as the original goal of getting more Mexicans across the border just to take their money.)
Faster lines should not help the tourist trade to Juarez because US citizens should NOT BE in or Go To Mexico. Period.
You know, someday, when things get bad, or worse, or whatever, these bridges will close.
I dont think El Paso should base its economy on taking money from Mexicans. (It also wont ALWAYS be there.)
And when there was a Peso devaluation TWICE in the 1980’s it killed many businesses in El Paso because they based their income on sales to Mexicans.
I thought THAT was a lesson.
I thought THAT was part of a lesson. And people and businesses were suppose to LEARN from that.
And now, here we are trying to “Speed up the lines” (flow of money from Juarez) so we can take their money faster and send them back to Juarez.
And PAYING the CBP to do their jobs faster or better.
Its just wrong.
Why do I have the feeling that when the other CBP officers SEE all the other NEW CBP officers and lanes open, THEY will just relax and slow down.
(Thats what happens at the Post Office)
(One Postal employee on the front counter moving right along and then. . . . 2-3 more show up to help and open their windows and . . . everything. . . slows. . . down . . to . .a . . crawl.)
Everyone moves. . . S L O W E R and starts chit-chatting with customers. (You see that at grocery store lines also)
So, to BRIBE them with Overtime is just useless.
1.5 million out of the budget, is 1.5 million FROM the city taxpayers. From the retired people. From the people that can barely pay their mortgage payment that has also doubled in 20 years due to property taxes being raised.
LikeLike
APril 11th approx 3pm, 70 mins to cross bota.
LikeLike
It was a goal… as in goal screw yourself!
LikeLike
If we paidmthem by the carload cleared it would result in a great speed up and fewer staff needed 🙂
LikeLike