I was detain for second inspection on Sunday April 19 when they pass me there take me to the office with Agent Meza after 4 hours they pass me over to Huerta agent She take my interview by film my declaration was scarrt b usually when they film is bcos they will cancel you documents I'm not resident yet I m on parole advantage But agent Huerta was so nice she even give me a meal and little juice and snack My respect for those agents and great people read more

6 IMPORTANT TIPS CROSSING SAN YSIDRO TO MEXICO (pedestrian) I have traveled on weekdays, weekends, and holidays. Anytime between 8-1 PM is uneventful. I either get dropped off or take the trolley. I don't trust parking my car overnight in the U.S. lots. I am usually traveling to Rosarito with my young kiddos. 1. Have your documents easily accessible to you without fiddling and faddling. 2. If you have to put items on the conveyor belt, be on the other end to quickly retrieve your items. 3. You will have to walk up a small curve incline to the document checkpoint. Just in case mobility is a factor. 4. If things are moving smoothly and you go between the times recommended, the border crossing to Tijuana is 10 minutes. 5. I travel with kiddos, I always take full photos and send to family. Precautionary, because I watch crime shows. Maybe not important but what's 3 seconds of peace of mind. 6. Customs agents are so chilled, but I bet if something pops off it's on! Answer their questions without joking because your bad humor will cause the rest of us to be delayed. "I took a trip down to Mexico. It kind of changed my perspective on life a little bit." - Derrick Favors #juken123 #sanysidrobordercrossing #uscustomsandborder read more

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Incompetent border patrol agents it is not possible to be in the border for more than three hours and claimed that any of these people are anywhere near smart. It shouldn't take this long to cross the border in any situation. If anybody's questionable, they should be sent straight to secondary, but it seems as if these agents don't even know how to read since it takes them about 10 minutes per car. Somehow they managed to use our taxpayer money to have 20+ booths yet max on a good day five are open read more

Always very professional staff holidays lines are huge always spend 3 -4 hours a day to cross to Sandiego read more

US Customs & Border Protection - Police Departments Near Me - San Diego, California

So, how many people have good experiences with big corporation or government centers. Not many. Our experience revolves around trying to navigate the Global Entry progress. It ain't easy! Web site has a couple of hiccups. Once that is mastered, you need an appointment for a personal interview. Good luck with that. After about twenty attempts , we secured an interview time. So off we go to the Otay Mesa Enrollment Center. We live in north Carlsbad and center is right at the Mexican border. Through rush hour traffic, the long drive down was a bit like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyland. Only much scarier! Once there and parked ( both challenging), we entered the center. Everything suddenly got better. The facility and clean and cool. The staff, to a person, was professional and welcoming. The wait time was much shorter than expected. The individual who conducted the interview did an excellent job. Ibarra( hope I am spelling her name correctly) was patient , professional and personable. She really " rescued" the entire process. The power of a smile, and being willing to actually connect with people you are waiting on, is immense. Kudos to her and rest of the staff. I hope someone will pass along this review to her. She deserves it. read more

The staff were professional, pleasant and well-organized! I was dreading my global entry interview as I would going to the DMV, but I left my appointment very impressed. I am not someone who rants and raves or readily recommends placed, but I will be telling everyone I know to go through the Otay Mesa location for global entry and can't say enough positive things about their employees. read more

Sokay. Had a bit of a premium experience today. Just wanted information on entering Mexico. Stopped at the border patrol near San Yasidro. I guess. Left the mall on foot to see if I needed a passport for crossing in and out of Mexico. Our side said I could come back with my ID, but the Mex side might require a passport. Went on in to find out. Got to the check in at the Mexican border guard station. They said I need one. Told thrm I had military ID and Drivers license. They took me to two other agents. The last said I had to go around and back out. I went where he pointed. Um. I was in Mexico because T-mobile sent me a text, "welcome to Mexico!" Wow. I went through the turnstile, cabbies started asking if I needed a cab. I was in TJ Mexico. No passport, in. Nope. Immediately found the 1/2 mile long l8ne to leave as told. Line was long. Welp, I'm rude af, moved forward until I saw the border agents. I was told to go back out. I finally got out. Whew. read more

The times just keep changing with world security. We decided to get the Global Entry/Sentri Pass and be able to go through the short lines instead of the long ones....and you get a TSA approved status for airline security lines. There were choices of going to LA or Otay mesa which was a no brainer. We had an eight am interview so we did get up early. The provided directions were perfect and put us right in the parking lot. And directions from the parking lot to thier front door were on point. Appointments were running on time. We were interviewed by Officer Abts, very nice fellow and he kept it light and informative. In and out in about 30 minutes. The hours are 6am to 10pm. I guess its warranted but didnt see that big of volume when we were there. I reccomend going to this office. The intake personnel were very polite and nice. read more

US Customs & Border Protection - Police Departments Near Me - San Diego, California

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Outstanding service. Proper check. I don't mind the interrogation because they are keeping the border safe.

These guys did an awesome job when it came to Global Entry interview. It was easy to make an appointment, just make sure to seep checking for the next available appointment. If you check everyday, you can easily find an appointment. Interview was quick and homeland security officers were very nice. read more

I applied for the global sentry card and it was a smooth process, the first thing is that you have to apply online and then from there make an appt. I did the one in Otay Mesa, I got there before my appt at 7:45 am waited for about 15 min, the agent was nice and was just waiting for my prints and as soon as you know it, I'm done, I just have to wait a couple of weeks for the card, My advice is follow the directions on the website and don't get lost and print out the stuff they ask you such as proof of residence, like a utility bill, the letter of appt and don't forget your passport :) The cool thing is you also get tsa pre boarding read more

US Customs & Border Protection - Police Departments Near Me - San Diego, California

I decided to get Global Entry/ Sentri Pass to make it easier for traveling. I was able to get an appointment at the Otay Mesa within a week which was great. I had the opportunity to go to LAX but definitely did not want to go through crazy LA traffic. I was greeted when I got there. The girls at the front spoke English and Spanish. Lines were short and people were taken shortly after their appointment time. Parking was very easy, you just walk few steps and you'll be at this office, it was very convenient. Parking may be hard to see because there an orange block in the street which makes you think you cant go pass that but you can and after you pass it make first right and park there. I had called them before to make sure about few things and they were great and easy to pick up the phone and answer questions I had They are open for long hours from 6am to 10pm. Its great if people cant go during the way because they are open super late to make sure people are taken care of. read more

Yes, The program is excellent. But this review is for the office, not the program. This office, manned by Homeland Security employees, perhaps reflects the attitude that we all encounter at the airports.. ...and that is because they wear a gun, and provide a service that the public wants, and needs, they get to operate as they see fit, without any recriminations from the public. This office needs some managerial oversight. Can anyone work any slower? ?? They need an incentive program. Perhaps then, productivity would increase and wait times would decrease. Be prepared to wait, even with an appointment. Bring a book because mobile data is extremely intermittent inside. read more

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Disorganized on how you get checked in. Lady outside checks that you are here, but you can't come in..... Now check in lady seems to have gone to lunch and every body now rushing in to get checked in and able to seat inside! read more

US Customs & Border Protection - 9/13/21 waiting for my turn - Police Departments Near Me - San Diego, California

The worst! No where on the website or phone message go they tell you that it's appointment only.... Until you show up! The worst .. there is no parking at the office so you have to park illegally and hope you don't get towed. Then you get there and they give you a slip of paper that says to make an appointment! She had a whole stack of these which tells me it happens a lot. There were 3 ppl being helped while I was standing outside for about an hour .. and of course they do not do same day appointments Ridiculous ! read more

Vigilante group here. March 16th, 2019 I was ordered out of Port of SD by SDPP under threat. Stating, if we need to talk to you again we will find you along the coast. 3am laboring heading north on one screw, the US Customs &BP boat turned the red and blues. Two officers Boarding my boat without request. They attempted to do the same as the SDPP and try to get me into hostile mode. I kept back and was calm. Since they could not get anywhere and searched my boat and found nothing, they left with anger and slammed into my wood boat so hard you could hear it crack. I was scared as they had a machine gun on the bow covered and they were all armed. They forgot to give me my ID back and headed towards me again. Traveling about 20 knots. I thought they were going to ram me again. They held out my ID and left. I headed to Mission Bay and alerted Coast Guard of the issue. Called other areas and it seemed that greeting was not heard of and disregarded the damage on my boat. To this day everyone looks the other way and says we heard nothing of it. Or its not on record. I cant wait till there is a Civil War to clean up the swamp read more

We drove two and a half hours for our interview to get global entry because we couldn't get an interview at LAX for the two of us on the same day within a specific time span. It was well worth going to Otay Mesa. It is new facility and they open appointments between 7am and 10am. KEEP CHECKING TIMES, THEY CONSTANTLY CHANGE!!!!! As far as the interview went, it was a breeze! Officer Deluca was AMAZING! We had to show our passport and DL. We had all other Docs in case needed. We we're approved the next day for GE. Thank you to our law enforcement agencies! MUCH respect! read more

I've always heard that this is the better location to schedule your interview for Global Entry/ SENTRI since it's a bit out of the way and therefore less popular. I was able to secure an evening appointment time to accommodate my work schedule, probably 2 months or so in advance. I did not know how nerve-racking it would be to find the SENTRI office at night though! The interview information printout makes it clear NOT to use a GPS to locate the office. You're directed to exit onto East Siempre Viva Rd (the last USA exit) and then turn right 1000 ft down onto Roll Dr. This part was confusing and I had to stop to re-read the directions at some point. Damn, I'm so reliant on technology, haha. Just make sure to ignore all of the parking lots with a mechanical gate on your right, continue past the cul-de-sac-like area, and straight towards a yellow "closed road" barricade. Basically, just keep going straight on Roll Dr. until it ends at the barricade! There's a small area to the left of this which allows you to barely pass and turn into an open parking lot (no gate) on the right. The SENTRI office is located on the other side of the serpentine-like pedestrian bridge. No line at 5:45PM at night! I checked in with the woman at the front desk and waited for maybe 15 minutes before an officer called me over. SUPER nice Filipino uncle! He was chatty and super engaging; didn't seem stressed whatsoever even though it was the end of what I'm sure was a busy Monday. It didn't feel like an interview/ interrogation at all. I was in and out in 25 minutes, sweet! TSA pre-check and fast pass border lane here I come! read more

I had a 12 o'clock appointment for global entry/TSA and waited about 15 min to go sit inside the lobby because they are social distancing so there's not many chairs. I was called for my appointment by 1 o'clock and it took about 30 minutes for the interview. Officer Santiago was great and all the officers were kind and helpful. Heads up...I made the mistake of looking at some of the photos here on Yelp that people posted a few years ago and there's a lot of construction now so that front parking lot is now employees only and no longer available. You have to park before you start going down that small street toward the building. Somewhere on the site or on Yelp I was told to ignore the authorized vehicles only sign so I did and ended up getting a pricey ticket from border patrol. Border patrol are not the same as the officers in the senturi office. They will give you a ticket. Bottom line choose some of the paid parking when you come to the end of Roll Street where the dead end circle is and do not enter that small street! read more

US Customs & Border Protection - This is the parking lot everyone's talking about it is no longer available for use. - Police Departments Near Me - San Diego, California

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Construction, always under construction and this is what leads to inaccuracies between GPS directions. Came here for my SENTRI interview. Parking is insufficient and the lane to get there is super tight for 2 vehicles. It's hard to miss the signs to the office once you are there and the instructions they give you are clear, a very DMV feel to it. The line moves quick and they take all your documents. I was called a few minutes late, but I also got there early because I knew delays were inevitable and I was right. Once I got to the interview I was printed, paid and on my way in under 30 minutes. My interviewer was nice, quick and to the point, answered my questions and also gave some of her own personal stories about her 17 year old cat and someone freaking out about privacy. Oh office Anderson. The back bench for waiting to pay is bulletproof, but the speaking is ineffective, so be sure you are keeping an eye out, you'll see their mouth move and hear very little. The woman at the counter who greeted and checked me was really nice. Something that I did notice was the TV was on the news and was depressing and the chairs were super hard. I am not a tall man, but I've never seen so many dangling feet. The bathroom was right behind the waiting area. No cell phone use, for security reasons of course. Due to heavy foot traffic there are surprisingly few trashcans and though a smoking area is off to the side it's unofficial, just me and some officers blasting away at our cigarettes. Way better than waiting months for San Ysidro's location. read more

Went in for Global entry. Apart from the usual not too bad 15-20 min wait, it was good. Super easy to schedule with lots of availability + professional staff. Follow directions as in other reviews. read more

Review 58 My buddies who always randomly select me for additional screening! No I'm not kidding!!!! Ok, so I learned, what you reply will determine if you're going to go through the X-Ray and/or get your car dismantled. Be cool when you're crossing and listen to the ICE guard carefully, reply smoothly and welcome back home :) Getting to the border can be done 2 ways, very few know the shorter way that has allowed me to pass in less than 8 min on my last visit: non sentry. Be patient and don't run over the pedestrians trying to make a living. Use the Border Wait application and submit your wait time, the more that use the app the better and more accurate it is for all. I just picked up my Sentri, my life will change moving forward and will definitely will be venturing to Baja more often. Cabo baby!!! Plan B read more

US Customs & Border Protection - App said 20min, crossed in under 8min! ... The app hasn't failed me yet :) - Police Departments Near Me - San Diego, California

Tonight I had the most humiliating moment of my life. I went to TJ for some dental work and some how my GPS led me to the SENTRI lanes, by the time I realized that there was no way of going back. When I approached the officer that does the preliminary passport check, I kindly asked him On how to go back since I was in the wrong place, he's answer was ,,, how would I know,, very professional, when I got to the passport control, I was sent to the secondary check, I went there and they told me that I had entered the SENTRI without a permit thrice before which is tru, then again it was the same incident, I applied for sentry about a month ago, but haven't heard from them Here where it gets ugly. The handcuff me FOR NO REASON and take me to the main office, when they handcuff I was searched and they did the same thing again, all the officers looked like a bunch of power trip pendejos ( stupid in Spanish ) The supervisor was a reasonable man and very cooperative. After waiting for an hour an a half I went to the bathrooms and what a mess. By the way, these morons, they are wasting the tax payers month by bull sitting around and do nothing I'm about to write a letter to My senator do he can look into it read more

Save the drama fo yo Mama! The last time I crossed at San Ysidro I waited 4 hours, ef that! We have waited anywhere between 1-2 hours at this crossing, that's about half the time of the San Ysidro Crossing!!! This entry is difficult to get to because there are no signs from within the city. Apple maps got us close but still it was tricky to get to. We did see some Sentri (border fast pass) signs as we got close but if you follow those signs you will have to beg drivers to let over to the left lanes if you do not have that pass. Sentri lanes are on the left/east, Ready Lanes (only accepts RFID documents) are on the far left/west, standard traffic in the center. read more

US Customs & Border Protection - Police Departments Near Me - San Diego, California

I was fortunate to grab a Global Entry appointment that became available just one day in advance. Otherwise, the earliest available was about 10 weeks away. Public transportation from downtown San Diego to the Otay Mesa transit center was easy to use and a 10-minute walk to the Enrollment Center. Arriving 45 minutes early for a 5:15PM appointment, my interview with Officer Sifuentes was completed by 5:00PM. read more

I am directionally challenged and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I get lost. A lot. Sometimes even in neighborhoods that I've grown up in. So when smartphones with GPS mapping were created, I rejoiced because it gets me everywhere. Almost. I still ended up getting lost because I suck at reading instructions. I was seriously worried about getting lost coming to the US Customs and Border Protection office, since all the instructions provided said to not use GPS. Not use GPS? WTH. Thank goodness I checked out the Yelp photos, before I drove down to the Otay Mesa border for my Global Entry interview. If you're more a visual person, like I am, check out Lawrence C. and Chris D.'s photos. Extremely helpful! That being said, my Global Entry went off without a hitch. I was surprised to find 3 days in a row of available appointment spots on the Trusted Traveler Program website. You can bet your booty that I scheduled my appointment right quick. I highly recommend you schedule it early in the day, since they schedule multiple people for the same time slots. I had a 7am appointment and there was PLENTY of parking. Just arrive 15-30 minutes before the start of your appointment. You'll want to be sure to have all your paperwork ready, before your appointment. You may be asked to bring more than just your drivers license, utility bill (if address doesn't match license), your passport/resident card and possibly your TTP number. If that's the case, bring the required paperwork or you might be loudly reprimanded, like the dude being interviewed in the cube next to me. You will also need to hand off these documents over to the agent at check in. As Walter M. stated in his review, it's like going to the DMV. So, the process was fairly familiar. After my check-in, I sat down and it didn't take long for my name to be called. Wait time was about 15 minutes.Thankfully, I got a very nice and friendly agent. My interview was done in under 10 minutes and I was out the door. I alotted about an hour for the entire process and was happy to be done in under 45 minutes. I was so glad to have scheduled my appointment at the Otay Mesa border. The commute was awesome, especially since it was a rainy day. I was in and out fairly quick. Was I happy with the experience? Heck yeah! read more

Our appointment was at 2:00. Two kids and I got registered with Sentri AND Global entry, photographed, fingerprinted, paid at the cashier, and out the door in exactly 1 hour. Can't ask for better service! The only crappy part was the bathroom nazis. Kids don't know what cleaning schedules are, they just gotta pee and the woman wouldn't let us in despite the urgency. She literally turned her back, put up a 3 ft. yellow bar and slammed the door. So they peed in the potted plants. None of this was really Sentri's fault, but I can't really review Border Sanitation, or can I?..... read more

A year back I realized that I was doing more domestic and international travel more than usual and in the back of my mind I wondered whether Global Entry was worth it. To see people just breeze through the TSA Pre and Global Entry lines made me envious, especially since it is such a hassle waiting at airports. Thanks to a perk through Chase Sapphire Reserve, I finally caved. Application Process - Global Entry Cost - $100 (some credit cards will waive this fee for you in your next statement such as CS Reserve/Preferred). Submit your application at https://ttp.cbp.dhs.gov. Note job history and residency history for last 10 years and all countries you've traveled to in the last 5 years. It took me a week to get "conditional approval" status, which allowed me to schedule my interview. I had two choices - SAN or the Otay Mesa Border. Though Otay Mesa is out of the way for some, there are much more available times with quite a few times suitable for people to come in after regular work hours. Compare this to SAN, which has a very narrow window for appointments. One would have to request PTO or have weird working hours to accommodate the times. Otay Mesa Border A day prior to your interview you'll get an e-mail reminder. It's very important to follow the directions as stated in the e-mail (read: DO NOT USE GPS). The hardest part about the interview process was actually getting there. The border is accessed through the 905, which has a break in the middle of the freeway if you're coming from the west. It also a little worrisome that you have to go past "road closed" signs if you're an anxious driver, but at least parking's right near the entrance. Acceptable forms of ID are your passport book and driver's license if your address is current. Check-in was rather easy. I was asked to present ID upon arrival. Within less than 10 minutes I was called to finalize my application. I was asked two questions ("What is your occupation?" and "Why are you applying for Global Entry?"), got my fingerprints taken and was explained the process of how Global Entry applies at airports. As an additional perk as SD is a border town SENTRI was also included and I was given instructions on how to activate the SENTRI card once it comes in the mail. This card makes your arrival to the US from Mexico much easier as you can use the SENTRI lines. Though Global Entry has a card you don't have to bring it to use the Global Entry lines, you just need your passport. I am now officially Global Entry approved and I hope to use these perks often as I travel internationally. Should you be scheduling your Global Entry interview I highly recommend Otay Mesa due to the ease of convenience in terms of scheduling your appointment as well as the actual "interview", which is more of a formality at that point. read more

Getting your Sentri pass takes a l o n g time. Months. But once you do, you can cross the borders from Mexico to the US all fancy free without waiting in line. They also give you global entry - so at airports you can go through TSA pre check. Again, skip through the lines and you don't take your shoes off. Patience is a virtue. THis is a government agency. Sentri can be taken away from you in a heartbeat if you abuse it. It is good for 5 years and cost aout $125. You have to interview in person at the order with a US offcicial and go through a background check. And then you are golden. read more

I completely understand all the hate directed toward this program. Visiting their office is similar to visiting a DMV office along with the plastic chairs, cheesy TV programming and the overall dirty feel. To their defense, they have streamlined the process since the early days and visits are now fewer and far between. If you are starting out with the initial application and vehicle inspection, I would just plan on being here for a few hours and bring something to read or do. And during our last visit, we only had to wait about 45 minutes passed our appointment time. The benefits of this program definitely outweigh the hassles. Once you get cleared, your good for 5 years. Average border waits are about 10-15 minutes compared to 1-2+ hours trying to cross in the regular lanes. If you are a frequent visitor to Mexico, this pass is a must. read more

The IDEA IS GREAT! If it was run privately but the US GOV always messes up a good idea: Fantastic government program: - Wait 3 months 2 make appointment only to sit 4 over an hour once U get here 4 your scheduled appointment. WTF? -Y is our government so lame? -C'mon people.... We have better things 2 do rather than sitting an waiting 4 over an hour when we have an appointment!!! read more

US Customs & Border Protection - Waiting in the waiting room for people that ALREADY have scheduled appointments - Police Departments Near Me - San Diego, California

I am taken aback by the amazing customer service by Yanez and also the other employees at the front desk when I went to my 8pm appointment for a global entry card. Yanez was PHENOMENAL and exceeded my expectations. She explained things in a clear and concise manner and anticipated all my needs. She confirmed all my data/information to ensure things went smoothly and just a beautiful person inside and out! So lucky she was the person to help me get this amazing card that will help me speed through the airport lines and roads when I return from Mexico trips etc., The facility is organized, took all the necessary COVID precautions, very clean and chairs appropriately distanced. The only con of course is about the parking here, specifically at night. I wish there was more parking and more lighting so you would want to be careful etc if you are a woman and I would not advise going alone at night but overall great experience. read more

Today, i had an unfortunate experience with CBP San Ysidro Border Ground Crossing. My husband and I were sent to secondary inspection. Our inspection with the officers when checking our vehicle and belongings went as it should be, professional and smooth. We were completely cooperative with the officers. It wasn't until they informed us they would take us to a room to have a pat down. We had our puppy and they asked us to put him in a filthy kennel. That should give you an idea where they keep their k9. I asked if there were other options since my pup is still small and is prone to getting sick. The officer who was helping us said she would ask their surpervisor. As im patiently waiting, Officer EVANS (Female) rushed from behind the counter and aggressively demanded that I put the pup in the kennel. I asked if she was the surpervisor which she replied "No, but I'm in charge on deciding what happens in my grounds." Although, I was not comfortable with this, I did not want things to escalate and complied. As we were having our pat down and she's assisting me when obtaining my personal information. She proceeds to harrass my husband when he's being helped by another officer (The supervisor that had been initially requested) as to why he didn't fully know his social in full by memory. She began to make threats by saying she would get his prints and check his record and get him into actual trouble. My husband informed her there was no need for her threats or attitude and that it was disgusting how they abuse their authority. The supervisor who was helping my husband asked him to ignore her and focus on him. As OFFICER EVANS continued to make threats and whisper to herself in a lower voice while assisting me. By the way, no fingerprints were ever done, she was only trying to use intimidation tactics. As to her supervisor, I dont understand how that is his role when he knew she was clearly out of line and we could read by his body language he felt uncomfortable but allowed OFFICER EVANS to continue rambling with threats. As we were free to go, I asked for a different supervisor someone above the depeartment where they pat you down. SUPERVISOR LING who I have dealt with before when trying to file a complaint did not want to give us OFFICER EVANS name initially. He continued to ignore our requests. I kept on insisting that we needed to have a last name or name to file that complaint. But as other times before he was not interested in listening to anything we had to say. There is a reason why this AGENCY has a horrible reputation. Because you continue to only write these employees up or bring these complaints on their evaluations but continue to have them as employees or in their rank! This is why the traveling public puts all the agency into ONE. And it's unfortunate for the employees who are great and professional. CBP San Ysidro don't continue to keep officers who abuse their power. Remove OFFICER EVANS, this should not be permitted. I hope this isn't ignored like other complaints. read more

This review is for my Global Entry appointment... first off, make sure to follow the directions given to you in your interview information letter on the Global Online Enrollment System (GOES) website. they are really accurate and very easy to follow cuz if you miss the freeway exit, then well you're on your way into Mexico since this enrollment center is located at the last USA exit before the border haha. there is a free parking lot once you arrive at the office as well. the office itself is small but there's enough chairs in the waiting room to sit and they have a TV to help you pass the time cuz most likely you will be waiting haha. me and justin b. arrived about 45 minutes early and we were not seen until about 30 minutes after our scheduled time...but that was to be expected. what made this less than pleasant process (i.e. getting up early, driving here from the OC, waiting 1.5 hours) a 5-star experience was the staff at this office! thank you to the female officef at the front desk (sorry i didnt catch your name) but your help and extra effort was a lifesaver to me! thank you for going above and beyond to accommodate my appointment! and another big thank you shout out goes to Officer Gomez who interviewed and approved us for Global Entry! even though it was early in the morning, Officer Gomez was friendly, cheerful, and upbeat. he treated us more like friends than interviewee subjects and we had a really pleasant "interview" with him. he thoroughly explained the Global Entry program to us and answered all of our questions with great knowledge and expertise. thank you both for making this such a positive experience for us! as for this global entry process itself, i actually found it pretty easy. from my application date to my approval date, it was about a 2 week time frame. just keep checking that GOES website for appointment availability. if you're diligent and obsessively checking the calendar (like i was haha) and willing to drive a bit for an enrollment center, then you can get an appointment within just a few days time...and after that my approval came within 24 hours. i highly recommend coming to this enrollment center for your interview because of the friendly officers here! read more

I'd like to give a shout out to Officer Barnes at window #8 who processed my Global Entry application today. Dude was fast, professional and answered all of my questions. He got people through like a pro! I can say that for window #9 (African American lady) as well, but the rest of them were dragging butt. Oh, and he was working a double with a busted toe from basketball. He also told the dumb receptionist with the bad bangs to reschedule the late appointments because it was backing up EVERYONE. And it was. Props to him! It was a 2 HOUR wait JUST for Global Entry. I made an appointment in October for today. I'd like to give more stars because, well, 'Murica, but only giving 2. 1 for Officer B being the champ of the day, and 1 for the bathroom facilities being in the waiting room so I didn't have to walk outside to use the toilet. The chairs were actually fairly comfortable, too. The free parking lot has about 25 spaces, so I didn't get to park there and the bimbo at the desk screwed everyone by not rescheduling you losers who show up late to government appointments. Seriously, you're probably the same people holding everyone up at the DMV, too. You know who you are. (Side eye) Also, in response to the confirmation email - the GPS for Waze does give correct directions, just FYI. Anyway, it could have been a better experience and it could have been worse; I'm just grateful I didn't have to drive to Seal Beach (?) because there's so much drama in the LBC. Thanks for being there, but definitely reschedule the tardy applicants and hire some more staff, please and thank you! (Fist bump) read more

After months of waiting, I went to Otay Mesa Border Crossing to have my interview with Customs and Border protection (CBP) for my Sentri card. (Sentri is supposed to allow you to cross back in to the U.S. from Mexico using expedited lanes and a Sentri card with a RFID chip containing my personal data.) For those of you who don't live in SD, Otay Mesa is a long way from downtown SD. It's not even the closest border crossing. But it is the only place where CBP will interview SD area Sentri applicants. The interview was set for 10:30. I arrived at 10:25 with all the required paperwork. I left 2 1/2 hours later. - First I saw the receptionist. "Please take a seat, sir." The waiting room looked like a Virginia DMV office: rows of plastic chairs, hardly an empty seat, crying babies, and a TV monitor hanging from the ceiling playing Pirates of the Caribbean -- on mute. There was a sign instructing people not to use their cell phones. - At 11:35 a clerk called me the desk and looked through the paperwork and took my photo and fingerprints. Then back to the seat. - At 12:05 I met with a uniformed CBP agent. Very pleasant. he interviewed me for 20 minutes. ("Why do you want to go to Mexico?") Then back to the seat. - At 12:35 a cashier called me to pay the $97.25 for the Sentri pass. Seems the $120.00 I had already paid way back in march was just for processing and the interview. - I then went and got my car and pulled it in front of the Sentri office so another uniformed officer could *interview* my car. And I waited again. - At about 1:10 I was done. All these people were super nice. Lots of smiles. No needless hassles or bureaucratic deadends. But really. 2 1/2 hours? More than $200 in fees? All of this for something that will make CBP's job easier? Shouldn't CBP be encouraging people to apply for Sentri cards rather than making it as complicated as possible? Oh, I'll get the card in the mail "in 10-14 working days." read more

At first glance you think you're at CBP's version of the DMV. However, you'll be surprised by the efficiency and friendliness of this office. I went for a Global Entry interview and was very impressed with the cleanliness of the location, welcoming tone of the staff, and friendliness of the customs officer that interviewed me. He was extremely friendly and even provided me suggestions for my ventures down to TJ and abroad. If I ever desire getting my car set up for SENTRI, I will not think twice about scheduling my appointment at the Otay Mesa border crossing. The only time in which I was confused- driving. Just drive straight until the very last parking lot on your right and look for signs that say "Reserved for government invited visitors only." You'll pass a few construction barriers and signs that tell you you're not allowed, but do not fret- as long as you made the last US exit. read more

Umali was a Unhelpful piece of ship that basically kept me waiting for no fucken reason even though I had my documentation and unfortunately just because my passenger did not have her identification I was held thank you for being a slow asshole read more

1. As a recent customer to the Otay Mesa CBP facility (by accident !!) I feel obligated to come forward to relate my sincere gratitude to an outstanding employee working here. Specifically, I had my SENTRI pass interview scheduled for May 29th 2014 at the San Ysidro facility (i.e., done via internet several months ago). I thought I had all in order to make this important date, but when the actual day arrived I'd been absolutely swamped at work -- and forgot that I'd made my appointment at San Ysidro. As I looked at my confirmation letter driving south on I-5 it only listed Otay Mesa as an interview site; so that's where I drove off to with less than an hour to spare. 2. Although I arrived with literally 3 minutes to spare before 14:00, the customer service representative offering to help me (Ms. "Rosa Maria") could not find any record of my appointment (logically---as I stupidly came to the wrong office!). In what I figured was going to be the "perfect ending" to what had been a bad day, I was instead astounded to be totally saved by this magnificent professional. 3. Specifically, after good-naturedly smiling at my error, Rosa Maria quickly called to staff there to see if they could "fit me in" between properly-scheduled SENTRI interviews that day. After almost immediately accomplishing this, she called San Ysidro to explain my mistake--and thus cancelled me there so others might use my slot. After telling me all was OK and to have a seat, I barely had 5 minutes to wait before a great, very professional agent called me for a thorough but efficient interview. I'm sorry I didn't get his name too to pass you; but hopefully with my SENTRI# XXXXXXXXX they can determine who it was in a database and also thank him....... In all from entering the front door to paying my fee it was 19 minutes. 4. Although this may seem like "nothing"; BELIEVE ME it was SO important. I had applied for special leave to depart work early this day for my SENTRI interview - which would have been a TOTAL waste of 4 vacation hours. In addition, I would have obviously had to go home, reschedule ANOTHER interview -- and then wait another 4-8 weeks to try again. 5. In summary, all this potential mess was my own doing, for which Ms. Rosa Maria had EVERY right to just tell me that I'd come to the wrong office, that there was "nothing she could do", and that I would just have to go home and reschedule for another time in July. HOWEVER, she was totally sympathetic to my plight and did everything possible to salvage my appointment (i.e., between two CBP offices). This is indeed extraordinary in government bureaucracies---and reflects SO well on both the CBP and specifically the Otay office !! I've never been helped in such situations by someone like Rosa Maria - and won't forget it. MISC COMMENTS: (a) YES, others are right that GPS devices CAN'T be relied on.....as they say, zero- in on the McDonalds. Also, there IS a customer parking lot ALL the way down the long street, right across from the SENTRI office. I turned around too early at the employee lot (before) that had Tow-Away warning signs for non-workers. (b) Regarding other Yelpers' slamming to physical facilities, as a govt employee this waiting room is what it's meant to do: Give folk a place to wait ...... If you all want Leather chairs, free 100 mbps WiFi and 60" TVs with 100 cable channels please write Paul Ryan and the other Tea Partiers wanting to cut taxes / gut the budget (and give tax breaks to the 1% to get tax write-offs for entering their show horses in the Olympics, etc.......) (c) On wait times, I'm sure agents don't cause delays or screw customers for "fun." Crossing international borders is a BIG deal now (unfortunately after 9/11) and is something I don't want rushed or done in error. (d) I think that for the background check and processing being done my fees paid were fair. This is ESPECIALLY true if you realize the extra registrations you now get in all the other airport TSA, Customs & immigration border crossing "Trusted Travellor" programs too now. Before, you had to make separate applications and go to the nearest participant airport (LAX --yuck !) for the airport border entry programs. read more

Interview went fine - about an 90 minute wait, 5 minute interview. But! Make sure you check out the directions thoroughly first. The directions they gave weren't that clear, and I ended up taking an unintentional detour across the border because my GPS thought the office was on the 905. Had to go through both border checkpoints... luckily the 90 minutes the SENTRI office was running late gave me plenty of buffer. If you have a GPS that takes coordinates, I'd put in this: 32.551551, -116.937456 It's at the end of Roll drive, near the McDonalds, one block east of the 905 off Siempre Viva Rd. You have to go through two barricades that say Road Closed to get to the (free) parking. It's worth checking it out on Google Maps for a while before driving there if you're not familiar with the Otay crossing. read more