http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/border/162822

Travelers returning to U.S. increasing border crossing time
By Brady McCombs
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.02.2007
The end of the holidays means the beginning of the busy season at the two international ports of entry in Nogales as Mexicans living in the United States return from trips south of the border.
During the return holiday migration, which begins around Christmas and continues until about the second week of January, vehicle traffic increases by about 10 percent at the two ports of entry, said Brian Levin, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Tucson.
About 1.2 million Mexicans living in the United States were expected to travel south of the border during the holidays through the Paisano Program, said officials with Mexico's National Migration Institute.
The annual government-run program is designed to clamp down on corrupt public officials and ease the journey for travelers by expediting the issuance of travel documents.
An average of about 900 additional drivers will cross daily at the ports of entry during the busy period, Levin said. During this period, travelers are likely to encounter long lines, especially on weekends and at midday and afternoons, he said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials will keep the Mariposa Port of Entry open past its usual 10 p.m. closing time to ensure all vehicle lanes are staffed, and will coordinate with Mexican officials in an effort to cut down on wait times, Levin said. But he emphasized that officers' first priority remains stopping terrorists and narcotics.
"We aren't going to relax any of our enforcement actions," he said.
The busy period usually concludes in mid-January, when students return to school, Levin said. Most of the families coming back through Nogales live in Western states such as California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, he said. Going through Nogales is usually a faster route to get to the interior of Mexico than crossing in California, Levin said.
This time of year isn't as busy for U.S. Border Patrol agents tasked with stopping people who try to get into the United States illegally between the ports of entry. Fewer illegal entrants go home for the holidays than in years past, said Shannon Stevens, a Border Patrol Tucson Sector spokeswoman.
"It's much more difficult to get back across now than say it was five years ago, so we are not going to see as much of a dramatic increase as we did in years past," she said.
Illegal entrant crossings remain slow during January before picking up in late February and early March, she said. Apprehensions of illegal entrants are down 8 percent so far this fiscal year, after an 11 percent decrease the previous year.