Americans detained and fined for standing in the wrong line at the Mexican border

Two Los Angeles residents were detained and forced to pay fines to keep their cars from being impounded after accidentally using Sentri Lane while crossing the border from Mexico to the US. This lane is only allowed to be used by pre-approved travelers. New York Post.

Photo: IStock

“They chained me to this metal bench while I waited for three hours,” Rose, a Burbank, California resident, said of her experience at the Tijuana/San Ysidro port of entry. She accidentally used Sentri Lane. This lane contains concrete barriers that prevent a vehicle from leaving the lane once it has entered it.

“When we entered our address into the navigator to return home, it showed us a certain path. I think Sentri is the fastest way to cross the border,” Rose said.

“I have never been so humiliated in my life as I was on that day,” said Ana Salazar, a Pasadena, California resident.

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Lawyer John Manley said that he represents the interests of drivers who were detained and fined for using the wrong lane.

“You’re basically chained to a bench for two to three hours,” Manley said. “They say, 'Yes, we'll take your car,' or, 'We'll fine you $5000,' for driving in that lane.”

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CBP agents said drivers would only be issued a $5000 fine if they used the Sentri lane for the third time, but California residents said they had never received a warning prior to that.

“As I was waiting in the office, one of the agents came in and yelled at everyone in the office, ‘Oh, we got another $5,’” Salazar said. “Obviously someone else has gone through the same thing as me.” So, I just thought to myself, “Oh, it's just a business.”

Bernardo Montenegro and common-law wife Patricia Caro of Fontana, Calif., say they were fined a total of $10 for using Sentri Lane and that CBP waived 000% of the fine when they appealed the fine.

“We just drove into the wrong lane. We did nothing wrong, except that we drove into the wrong lane, ”said Montenegro.

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