Andrade Port of Entry


The Andrade Port of Entry is the easternmost and lowest volume border crossing in California, USA. It is located 2 miles south of Interstate 8, and about 2000 feet west of the Colorado River, in Imperial County opposite the Los Algodones border crossing in Baja California, Mexico. It is a minor port in comparison to the larger Calexico West and Calexico East Ports of Entry. In spite of its remote desert location, it supports significant tourist traffic volume. The Andrade-Los Algodones border crossing is also Mexico's northernmost port of entry. The port ranked 11th for pedestrian crossings in 2010, with more than one million people processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

History

This crossing was established in 1909, when the Southern Pacific Railroad constructed a branch that crossed the border at this location. Both the US and Mexico had Custom houses, primarily for the inspection of trains. A parallel road soon followed. By 1960, the railroad had been abandoned. In the 1990s, medical tourism grew significantly in Los Algodones, with numerous dentists and pharmacies establishing offices primarily for US customers, which contributes to the continued heavy pedestrian crossing numbers