Calexico, CA

At Calexico's downtown border crossing, movement between California and Mexicali is measured in millions. Federal data recorded 5,429,970 inbound personal vehicles and 3,163,862 inbound pedestrian crossings from Mexico at the Calexico port in 2025; Calexico East separately handled 446,835 inbound trucks. Those figures count arrivals only, not two-way traffic. The city sits in the Imperial Valley directly opposite Mexicali, the capital of Baja California. Calexico began as an Imperial Land Company tent settlement in 1899 and incorporated in 1908 as irrigation converted surrounding desert land to year-round agriculture. The crossing itself remains a major construction site. Phase 2A of the Calexico West modernization reached substantial completion in spring 2024, and Phase 2B is scheduled for completion in summer 2029.

ATTRMarianita2407 / CC BY-SA 4.0

That phase includes a 39,000-square-foot pedestrian inspection building designed to double the number of booths from six to 12. Away from the inspection lanes, Camarena Memorial Library provides free English-language learning and conversation groups, citizenship help, computer classes, and adult-literacy tutoring. Its 2026 summer program paired family reading activities with free meals for children and teens through the local school district. The Margarita de Necochea Aquatic Center opened for the 2026 season on June 9, while the Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center supplied a venue for the city's youth art contest.