Anyone from San Diego?? Help, Please!

[Guest]

My boyfriend and I are going to San Diego in ten days. I know there's an immigration checkpoint between San Diego and Orange County, and the problem is that he's an illegal alien. Nevertheless, he's eastern European and doesn't look Latino at all. Should I worry about the checkpoint? Would it be safe to put him on Amtrak from San Diego to San Juan Capistrano, and pick him up from the train station there? What would you suggest? Thanks! :-)

[Huey]

Unicorn the check point is open at random times for various time durations.

 

I cross the check point about once or twice per week. I've been stopped three times in about 3 decades. So being stopped is pretty unlikely. If your friend is not legal I personally wouldn't take the chance

 

Your options are the train (as you noted)or he can fly to OC or LA or LB and you can meet up with him there .

 

If you have further questions just let me know.

 

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WAR IS OVER

if you want it

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

[Guest Tomcal_]

I live in Orange County and drive to S.D. at least once every 10 to 12 days for the past 10 years, have Never been stopped! I have had Latin friends with me on many occasions. What they look for, trucks where you can't see the occupants, more then two people in the car(it's not economical to smuggle just one person at a time) expired Lic. plates, or non Calif. plates. There is racial profiling, if you both are caucasian, in a Calif. rental car, and are not sweating profusely or acting nervous as you drive by...they don't make you roll down your window, they are standing between the lanes looking in the windshield as you go about 5 mph., and the likelihood of you being stopped is zero! Don't look at the officer or smile just keep driving like normal, in other words act like you would if your friend was a citizen. The other way around the check point which i figure the Mexican smugglers must know about is to take the 15 freeway north out of S.D. and get off at the Mission exit to Fallbrook,Calif. very scenic small avocado growers town, take DeLuz road north out of town, It's behind Camp Pendleton!!) to the Town of Temecula, very scenic, winding drive it drops you off above the checkpoint, it will take you about 45 minutes longer, but no border agents or checkpoint!

[Traveller]

If it isn't already, cut his hair short. Dress him in an medium gray, ill-fitting, tailored woman's suit. These next two steps are critical. READ THEM CAREFULLY. Have him wear spiked high heals. This is essential to "run the gauntlet," if it's necessary. It may not be. Write No. 3 with a black magic marker across his forehead; but in VERY LARGE script. If you're stopped, he's to say his name is Rosa Klebb. Nothing more, nothing less. Follow these simple procedures and success is guaranteed. I trust this helps.

 

Later.

 

PS. Phage, a San Diegan, says this is foolproof.

[phage]

Let’s call Traveller’s suggestion ‘Plan A’. (It was actually that Israeli boyfriend of his that we dressed up as Rosa. That’s a whole different story, but he looked hot !)

 

For ‘Plan B’ I would go with Tomcal’s suggestion. The immigration stop is a joke and there to annoy and inconvenience organized smugglers. You will see signs next to the freeway warning you that people may be crossing because it is common for them to be let out on one side of the inspection point and picked up on the other.

 

If you are both Caucasian, or anything other than Latin, you have nothing to worry about. (Easy for me to say.) Just look bored or annoyed at the traffic delay and they will wave you right through. I’ve lived here almost my entire life and have had more problems at the agricultural inspection coming back from Vegas than I have at the immigration inspections.

[chrismac]

Unicorn,

 

I drive or take the train between San Diego and O.C. about twice a week. Here are some facts:

 

1). The checkpoint is northbound only - so for your southbound leg of the trip - no worries. The INS isn't too concerned with illegal Mexican immigrants returning on their own to Mexico. If you're planning to fly out of San Diego at the end of your trip - case closed.

 

2). The INS checks the trains much more diligently than they do cars coming through the northbound lanes on I-5 or I-15. I've seen several young, dark-skinned males hauled off the trains, usually at San Juan Capistrano, in the last 2 months. They seem to be especially active now after 9/11.

 

3). If you plan to return by car northbound - take the suggestions above (not the spike heels one ;-)) regarding driving casually through the checkpoint. Don't try to conceal your faces with hats and sunglasses that look too obvious. Be talking to each other and smiling or laughing - and watch the signals from the officers to move forward. Do not try to rush through the checkpoint, as you'll be stopped for sure.

 

The INS is also looking for middle-eastern types these days in addition to their normal quarry of Mexican illegal immigrants.

 

Hope this helps.

[sdg]

just wait till it's raining or the traffic builds up and the checkpoint will be closed!

[Guest]

I'm really grateful for all the advice so far! I'm especially grateful for the advice regarding the train, because my original thought was for him to take the train, and I would pick him up in San Juan Capistrano. Scratch that plan! If I may bother you guys for just one more question, I'd like to ask another question regarding bypassing the I-15 checkpoint. Is it possible to go through Pala, on CA-76 then north to Temecula on County Route S16 instead of through Fallbrook? How does that compare to the Fallbrook bypass?

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Middle Eastern or Latin

 

I have driven past this check point on my four return trips from San Diego since July 28th. Only on THAT were they even inspecting cars.

 

I have often been told I look latin enough and certainly middle eastern enough. One of the twinks was in the car with me at the time, blasting the then new Manny Lehman Experience cd right at the track "Trouble Don't Always Last" and looking like the big queen that he is. The officer looked at me, looked at him, and waved us through. We were in my white Miata with the top down, the plates had just been renewed, and if you could fit an alien in my trunk, Twink Ho Number 3 would have just brought more "outfits."

[Michael]

RE: immigration checkpoints

 

I have been past that particular checkpoint a couple of

times and was never stopped - in fact I didn't see *anyone*

being stopped.

 

However I do have a question for all you US citizens out

there ...

 

As a permanent resident in the US I am (in theory at least)

required to carry my green card with me at all times so *I*

can actually prove that I am in the US legally, but, as far

as I know, there is no requirement for US citizens to carry

any proof-of-citizenship documents with them as they move

freely about the country ... so how do these checkpoints work?

[Huey]

RE: immigration checkpoints

 

Michael your observation is right on the mark. As a citizen who has been stopped, as I noted above, the only proof of who I am was my drivers license.

 

The way I understand it the checkpoint is set up to stop smugglers and those bringing drugs into the State. Each time I was stopped my vehicle was searched. Obviously after opening the trunk and maybe looking around a bit they knew I was not smuggling people. Though on one of my stops they requested permisssion to search the vehicle further.

 

Therefore, your remark about how they knew I am an actual citizen is interesting. They do criss cross names in a database though there was no true proof that I'm American presented.

 

-----------

WAR IS OVER

if you want it

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE