Personal Vehicle Crossings

Why are personal vehicle crossings important?

The dynamics of personal vehicle crossings through Arizona's border ports of entry reflect the composite effects of both the economic ties between Arizona and Mexico, and border crossing procedures that affect wait times. Periods of economic slowdown, together with more stringent border crossing procedures tend to reduce the number of personal vehicle crossings, as the data since early 2000 suggest. Among Arizona’s six border ports of entry, Nogales facilitates the largest number of personal vehicle crossings. San Luis is second, followed by Douglas.

What is measured?

Personal vehicles are the primary mode of transportation for people crossing the border. Data includes frequent crossings by local residents, as well as crossings by people traveling to destinations away from the border for the purpose of business, medical services, visiting family and friends, shopping, or leisure. Data are available only for northbound crossings and include all personal vehicles, regardless of the country of vehicle registration, i.e., Mexico, the U.S., or Canada. The selected southern border ports of entry used in this analysis are: Douglas, Lukeville, Naco, Nogales, San Luis, and Sasabe in Arizona; Calexico East in California; Santa Teresa in New Mexico; and, El Paso, Hidalgo, and Laredo in Texas.