All lanes at the busiest U.S. border crossing reopened Wednesday morning after at least two U.S. agents in Southern California tried to stop smugglers from speeding through the San Ysidro Port of Entry on Tuesday by firing their weapons at three vans loaded with suspected illegal immigrants.
Three people in the vans were hurt and a man in a nearby car also was injured in the smuggling attempt Tuesday, U.S. authorities said. A total of 76 people inside the vans were arrested.
The San Diego Police Department declared the port a crime scene and shuttered the 24-lane border crossing to vehicles. Northbound traffic at the checkpoint, where about 40,000 cars cross daily from Mexico, was backed up into Tijuana for miles as police investigated.
Smugglers attempt to run the border crossing on occasion, but rarely in such a coordinated way or with so many suspected illegal immigrants.
The vans, one following the other, tried to speed past a booth as a Customs and Border Protection agent checked the first vehicle’s license, according to a law enforcement statement.
Officials deployed a runner-alert system: An alarm blared and gates and metal barriers automatically blocked exits out of the secondary inspection area, which was already full of cars. The vans attempted to find an open lane but ended up stuck in traffic, the police statement said.
