NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — While the border crossing at Lukeville reopened west of Tucson, a different sort of border crossing reopened in Nogales — a gate where Mexicans walk into the U.S. and shop at local stores.
In Nogales, the Morley Avenue business district really depends on people walking over from Mexico to shop here using the Morley Avenue pedestrian gate. It was closed for months, but has finally opened again.
As shoppers passed through the gate for the first time since late September, it was time for a celebration at Kory’s Bridal, one of the signature stores on Morley.
Kory's worker Alma Avales was cheering when the gate opened.
"Why?" we asked.
"Because people don't come from Mexico for four months and I'm excited," Avales said. "Oh my God, (for people from) Mexico to buy at this store.”
Sometimes the border story is a business story of towns on either side of the border working together to build their economies.
It hit Nogales hard when the Mexican government closed the pedestrian gate for renovations, and it stayed closed through that money making Christmas shopping season.
Jaime Higuera had the bad luck to open his new restaurant, Higos Coffee & Chillorios, just as the pedestrian gate shut down.
Through a translator he said, “He's hoping that you know three to 700 people come across daily, that if even 15% of the people come to the business, he can help grow his business.”
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manny Ruiz said it hurt to lose the convenience and speed of crossing at Morley compared to other official crossings where Mexicans can walk in to shop.
“Because there are asylum seeking migrants that are waiting there with their phone app. So they clog up the area," he said. "I've known people that have walked across, and if you have the SENTRI or Global (Entry pass) you can get across a lot faster. But people that have just their regular passport, the lines are so long that it lasts up to an hour, hour-and-a-half, two hours.”
Ruiz said he hopes DHS will be able to get more agents and inspectors to cover the border, so places like the Morley Gate will never close again.