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Tijuana protest closes busy border crossing in San Diego

The Associated Press | Monday, May 1 2006 3:15 PM

Last Updated: Monday, May 1 2006 3:15 PM

Several hundred protesters in Tijuana, Mexico blocked vehicle traffic heading to San Diego on Monday, turning the world's busiest border crossing into an empty parking lot.

U.S. authorities responded by closing the metal barriers in front of vehicle inspection lanes for "security purposes" about 1 p.m. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, which links Tijuana with San Diego.

However, Angelica De Cima, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Customs Service, which runs the port, stressed that the port remained open to the few vehicles that were able to make it through the crowd.

"We are there to do our law enforcement mission but traffic is being interrupted by the crowd," De Cima said.

About 50,000 vehicles pass through the San Ysidro port on a typical day, but protesters began waving flags and shouting slogans at passing cars in Tijuana Monday morning, forcing many drivers to turn back. Tijuana police reportedly arrested at least three people for hitting cars as drivers tried to cross the border.

Pedestrian traffic was being allowed through the port as normal, officials said.

Mexican police, wearing gray and black fatigues, formed a line across the freeway about 2 p.m. and attempted to clear a lane for vehicle traffic. About 10 cars managed to squeak through before protesters rushed the lane, forcing several cars to turn around and drive off. Mexican police arrested one person at the scene.

Another group of marchers sat down on the roadway and formed a human blockade.

A holiday atmosphere carried the day, however, as ice cream vendors milled through the crowd and children on bicycles popped wheelies on the empty roadway.

Meanwhile, protesters gathered on the U.S. side of the border and marched toward the border. California Highway Patrol officers dressed in riot gear waited near the port in the event of trouble.

"We are ready in the event San Diego (police) calls us in the need of assistance," said CHP spokesman Larry Landeros.