Go to Baja with looming threat of border shutdown?

[armourbl]

I was planning to go to Baja the week of the Veteran's Day holiday. My wife is born and raised in San Luis, and her mom still lives there. The plan was to pick up her mom and then spend about 5 days in Baja. We'd be sticking to pavement the entire trip. Basic route would be San Luis, Mexicali, San Felipe, Baja de Los Angeles, then over to the west cost and up through Ensenada, Tecate, then Hwy 2 on the Mexico side back to San Luis. So all border crossing will be in San Luis, which even though it is a small border town, has a very large border patrol station and port of entry.

But, then the caravan thing happened and Trump threatens to close the border. It has me wondering about the trip now and reconsidering. Some basic concerns are as follows:

-- We are traveling alone, as in one vehicle
-- Wife and I are US citizens, which may make us a target for Mexican nationals who maybe aren't happy with Trumps threats
-- Border shutdown shouldn't prevent us from re-entering the US, but what if it does for some reason?

I'd have some advantage traveling with my wife and her mom, but not sure how much difference it would make in a situation like this.

Any thoughts?

 

[Dock Rocker]

Not a chance I would take my family into a potential hot zone just for a vacation. To many variables that can’t be controlled. Way to much downside.

 

[RootedWanderers]

Not a chance. The smart play is to keep away. Too many variables that aren't in your control like Dock Rocker mentioned.

 

[DukeT4R]

Agreed thank you for using common sense and not doing that .

 

[cruiseroutfit]

??? Trump said he was going to shut down the borders for entry of US citizens? Unpossible. Baja isn't mainland Mexico. I'll be going in a few weeks, zero apprehension.

 

[Desert Runner]

Not a chance I would take my family into a potential hot zone just for a vacation. To many variables that can’t be controlled. Way to much downside.

This....it is not worth the chance. Tensions are so high, and getting worse. This has become a political football. With Venezuelan govt support(financial) and the Honduran leftist organization's.... organizing, Trump is being forced to respond. If they are successful, 100,000's will come, and then we will be forced to respond like Hungry and Poland....optics be damned.

 

[Desert Runner]

??? Trump said he was going to shut down the borders for entry of US citizens? Unpossible. Baja isn't mainland Mexico. I'll be going in a few weeks, zero apprehension.

Will be interested in what happens. Please keep us informed. I always like to hear unfiltered news from eyewitnesses.

 

[brien]

Fellow Arizonan here, you'll be fine, especially in Baja which is very safe not a "hot zone" by any stretch of the imagination.

I'm driving from AZ into mainland Mexico (Sonora, Sinaloa (this is definitely a "hot zone"), then a ferry over to La Paz) in a few weeks and I also have zero apprehension... ok, maybe a little bit about the Sinaloa part. If somehow I do come back to find that something as insane as not allowing U.S. citizens to enter their own country has happened, then I guess i'll have a forced extended vacation hanging out with some of the nicest and most welcoming people I've ever met in a country almost as beautiful as my good 'old U.S.A.

@cruiseroutfit: A few of us will be adventuring from Sur to Norte all along the Baja peninsula between Nov 19 - 25th, hit me up if any dates overlap with your trip in a few weeks. Maybe we can do an impromptu Overland Bound meetup over some café or cerveza or something.

 

[armourbl]

OP here. So it isn't a concern or fear of Mexico in general for me. Been to Baja before in an adventure motorcycle and it was without any incident of any kind. 100 percent positive experience, especially with the people. I speak very good Spanish, almost fluent.

The concern about the border shutdown is not so much of Trump not allowing US Citizens across the border. The concern is more that there are a lot of people who cross daily for work, legally, but not as citizens -- he may not allow that to happen during the shutdown. But, maybe worse will be if he would be if he shutdown trade across the border. That would be where the power would exist and it would hurt the Mexican economy, which would filter down to the Mexican people.

Also, it may become physically impossible to navigate to the border. There could be a backup of cars trying to get in, and traffic jam because they are being turned away with no real way to exit the line in. I don't think it will happen, but local police could even harass anyone trying to get to the border in some way or another.

Now the good news is the Baja 1000 is happening the same week. This create a huge influx for the Baja economy and the locals love it. There will be a lot of Americans there for the event, many with much more liability in the form of expensive possessions than me. The last time I was there was during the week before the race and everyone was there doing pre-runs.

Just giving some more perspective. I appreciate all of the comments, so keep them coming. I'll let everyone know what I decide.

ben

 

[Square Foot]

Considering you can communicate well in Mexico and are familiar with it there, you should absolutely take your trip. While anything is possible, it's not very probable that the entire border is going to be shutdown. There's a greater chance that your vehicle is going to break down or that you will have uncontrollable diarrhea, and if those aren't going to discourage you then go. That's my opinion.

 

[TRED LYT]

I own a home in Baja and go there frequently. The name of the game there is to be respectful of the people, their land, and their ways. Don’t be a know-it-all ugly loud obnoxious elitist American....and you’ll be find. I tell everyone I know who visits there, one word sums up the way to travel anywhere in Mexico.....BLEND! As best you can, blend in. Don’t drive your pimped out G63 Overlander down there....you’ll stick out like a sore thumb! The people south of our border are some of the most beautiful humans on Earth. The are the few that aren’t so, but we have that issue here too. For sure go. You’ll not be sorry. It’s an amazing treasure we have access to. Spend your money there....their economy depends on tourists. Make sure you take a little detour over into the Guadalupe Valley and hit some wineries! Your Mother in law will love it!

 

[spartancrating1]

Keep your family safe and stay on this side of the border. Shit happens.. more so there than here on this side. Please take some sensible advice from people who nothing at all vested in your potential trip and dont become another sad statistic.

 

[brien]

Please take some sensible advice from people who nothing at all vested in your potential trip and dont become another sad statistic.

Some of us are giving sensible advice from actual first hand experience and familiarity of traveling into Mexico, crossing the border, and traveling all along the border on both sides on a fairly regular basis. Like OP said, he's not scared of traveling in MX, he's mostly concerned about this administration's weird threat of "shutting down the border" and wondering if he would somehow get "locked out"

 

[spartancrating1]

Lived there in Baja 6 months dude. You don't need to school me on how dangerous it is. Dont be that naive American thinking that you are safe in any manner there. Seen the shit first hand. Not only is the murder rate in Baja the highest it's ever been with the newest cartel war the cops well you know are corrupt as fuck. We are just trying to give some advice on whether going at all is worth the risk.

 

[armourbl]

Some of us are giving sensible advice from actual first hand experience and familiarity of traveling into Mexico, crossing the border, and traveling all along the border on both sides on a fairly regular basis. Like OP said, he's not scared of traveling in MX, he's mostly concerned about this administration's weird threat of "shutting down the border" and wondering if he would somehow get "locked out"

I definitely value the information from everyone, but especially from those with experience traveling in Mexico and Baja. If I could have asked the question concisely, it would have been something like, would the threat of a border shutdown make you cancel your plans to travel to Baja? It wasn't so much a general question about traveling to Mexico.

With that, I should probably say that I'm leaning heavily toward not going. Call it a gut feeling.

ben

 

[Desert Runner]

Postpon

I definitely value the information from everyone, but especially from those with experience traveling in Mexico and Baja. If I could have asked the question concisely, it would have been something like, would the threat of a border shutdown make you cancel your plans to travel to Baja? It wasn't so much a general question about traveling to Mexico.

With that, I should probably say that I'm leaning heavily toward not going. Call it a gut feeling.

ben

Postpone it,.....see how the situation pans out, then make your plans. The weather is not going to be real cold, so it is not like what Canada will feel like in December.

 

[StuntmanMike]

I definitely value the information from everyone, but especially from those with experience traveling in Mexico and Baja. If I could have asked the question concisely, it would have been something like, would the threat of a border shutdown make you cancel your plans to travel to Baja? It wasn't so much a general question about traveling to Mexico.

With that, I should probably say that I'm leaning heavily toward not going. Call it a gut feeling.

ben

If you have a gut feeling, go with that. Better safe than sorry.

After all this (hopefully) cools down, go ahead and reschedule the trip then.

 

[Dock Rocker]

Some of us are giving sensible advice from actual first hand experience and familiarity of traveling into Mexico, crossing the border, and traveling all along the border on both sides on a fairly regular basis. Like OP said, he's not scared of traveling in MX, he's mostly concerned about this administration's weird threat of "shutting down the border" and wondering if he would somehow get "locked out"

So where did you get your first hand experience on a caravan of nationals trying to cross the border and the geopolitical fallout from it? I don’t recall that happening very often, especially since the administration changes in both countries. Exactly how does one become an expert in theoretical political issues?

 

[Desert Runner]

I think the Mexican government will have to step in at some point. The reason, depending on where the caravan ends up...that border crossing will be swamped, and if they rush the crossing, that is where you will see a closure. If it's like San Diego...all the Mexican nationals who have green cards and visas will not be able to cross and get to their daily jobs. They live in Mexico, but work on a daily basis on the US side. I imagine they will demand their government take some kind of action to minimize this cluster f... of a situation. I don't want this to turn too political, just a currant event situation. I imagine all the back door meetings and phone calls going on, are keeping those phone lines busy.

 

[spartancrating1]

[emoji3516] Last message was for you "Doc".