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Border Sentri Lane to Be Open 24 Hours Beginning January 1

One of the expedited border-crossing lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry will be open 24-hours under a new pilot program. The fast pass lanes are called Sentri lanes and are open to users who've pai

Border Sentri Lane to Be Open 24 Hours Beginning January 1

One of the expedited border-crossing lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry will be open 24-hours under a new pilot program. The fast pass lanes are called Sentri lanes and are open to users who've paid a fee and passed a background check. KPBS Reporter Amy Isackson has the story.

Instead of closing at midnight and re-opening at four a.m., one Sentri lane at San Ysidro will remain open all night.

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Angelica De-Cima is spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection. She says the new hours begin January 1.

De-Cima: We decided to try this as a pilot program for six months to see if the demand is actually there. Once the six months are over, we'll analyze the data and go from there. If the demand is there, we'll open that lane for 24 hours permanently.

It’s not clear how many late night and early morning users Customs and Border Protection needs to see to extend Sentri hours permanently.

Hundreds of Sentri users line up every morning before the lanes open to avoid the long waits. Some even sleep in their cars to make sure they get a good place in line. More than 100,000 people are enrolled in the Sentri program.

Amy Isackson, KPBS News.