Are you still not going to Juarez because you don’t have a passport? Your reluctance is unfounded.
Here’s a quote from Ruben Jaurequi, public affairs liaison with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations in El Paso, that appeared in this article in the El Paso Times.
“U.S. citizens who do not have a U.S. passport or a passport card can use a birth certificate or driver’s license to enter the U.S.” Jaurequi said. “This will take a little longer [than instruments with an imbedded RFID] because the officer has to process them manually.”
Frankly, I’ve liked being the only gringo going to Juarez, but I knew it couldn’t last forever. So maybe I’ll see you at the Kentucky Club.
Well, that’s good news indeed! Now, I wonder where I got the idea that passports are now required.
I went to Juarez yesterday for the first time in several years and I fell in love with the city all over again instantly. Juarez runs circles around El Paso in swagger, pulse, and energy. People are out, the food is amazing, (and super inexpensive!) and the whole place is abuzz with new energy. I popped my passports’ cherry finally and for it being a Friday afternoon we had almost zero waiting time coming back. I hope and encourage many of the El Paso folk who are reluctant to go due to passport issues start going again. Juarez is beautiful.