Although crossing back into the United States without a passport or WHTI compliant Drivers License (must denote citizenship, they are only currently offered by NY, WA and a couple of other states) means you are not in compliance with the new regulations as of now the only penalty is the possibility of a longer wait (at the border crossing in San Ysidro, CA you can expect to wait an additional 1-3 hours in the non WHTI compliant line while at Otay Mesa there would be no difference) however there is word that fines may soon be implemented for repeat offenders.
No. Everyone who crosses must have either a passport or a passport card. Mexicans crossing into San Diego must have a visa.
San Diego is in southwestern California, U.S.A., not far from the Mexican border.
South California somewhere like San Diego near the Mexican border
It is in California just across the Mexican border.
It is just at the other side of the border, with the city of San Diego, CA.
1,499 miles (2,412 kilometers).
Yes, now you must have a passport to leave or enter the US.
San Diego. Only 2 hours away.
U.S. citizens do not need a passport to enter Mexico by land or sea. Mexican border officials do not ask for any identification from you. On your return home, the U.S. officials would like you to carry a current passport but they can't obligate you to do so. Every day hundreds of people cross from Tijuana to San Diego with only a driver's license ... some with nothing at all. The passport question is controversial and confusing. Because of that, a group of people at the San Diego-Tijuana border put together a FAQ on the subject, see related linkis.
South California somewhere like San Diego near the Mexican border
U.S. citizens do not need a passport to enter Mexico by land or sea and they do not need one to return home. Mexican citizens need a "WHTI-compliant document" to enter the U.S. and they may enter Mexico with nothing. The Mexican officials at the border do not ask for any identification from anyone. On your return home, the U.S. officials would like you to carry a current passport but they can't obligate U.S. citizens to do so. Every day hundreds of people cross from Tijuana to San Diego with only a driver's license. The passport question is controversial and confusing. Because of that, a group of people at the San Diego-Tijuana border put together a FAQ on the subject, see related links.
On the Mexican side, those would be Tijuana and Mexicali, on the Mexican state of Baja California, opposite to San Diego and Calexico across the border, respectively.
San Diego is in the southernmost part of California, on the border with Mexico. It's also on the coast.Southern California, between Los Angeles and the Mexican border.