The government of Baja California has been receiving the documentation for “chocolate” cars—vehicles that are not legally imported—based on good faith, according to the state’s governor, Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda. Under a federal decree, these cars can be regularized, and the government has been issuing plates upon receipt of the required documents.
“We receive the documents without investigating their origin; we rely on good faith when they arrive for the process outlined by the decree,” stated Ávila Olmeda. However, some of these vehicles are being seized at customs because they entered Mexico post-October 19, 2021, which is beyond the entry date allowed by the decree published in January 2022. This decree is in effect until September 2026 and applies to cars that entered the country before October 19, 2021.
The governor assured that the documentation provided by the citizens indicates compliance with the entry date requirement. “When they come to us, it appears as if they entered before the decree. Since they comply with the decree, we trust the documents they present to us,” she reiterated.
It has been reported that nearly 400,000 vehicles have been regularized under this decree, bringing 950 million pesos into state coffers according to the federal government’s delegation in Baja California. Despite this, approximately 200 to 300 vehicles continue to enter Tijuana illegally each month, often without plates or with fake ones, posing a challenge that local authorities are grappling with.
**Additional Insights:**
Recently, concerns have surfaced about the environmental impact of this growing number of vehicles in Baja California. The vehicle influx is responsible for around 60% of air pollution, prompting calls for vehicular emissions verification processes. This could help mitigate some of the environmental damage being caused by this increase in automotive presence. Advocates for transparency and environmental health are urging immediate action to address these ongoing issues, emphasizing the need for stricter import and verification protocols.
In related news, there is a debate surrounding transparency in government actions, including the dissolution of the country’s transparency agency, which could complicate these regulatory efforts. The potential elimination of transparency bodies is viewed as a significant backward step by activists who stress that public access to information remains crucial, especially in enforcing and understanding policies around such imports and environmental regulations.