Tijuana Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz announced that 1,208 police and security personnel will patrol the city during Easter week, from March 25 through April 5, as officials prepare for up to 60,000 visitors. The Easter week security operation will use 665 vehicles, drones, rescue boats, and fixed checkpoints across the city’s main tourist zones.
Patrols Cover Avenida Revolución and Beaches
The deployment covers Tijuana’s beaches in the Playas de Tijuana district, the downtown tourist corridor along Avenida Revolución, and other high-traffic areas. Municipal security is coordinating the effort, which aims to prevent crime, respond to emergencies, and protect visitors from extortion or abuse at the hands of bad actors.
Fixed checkpoints will operate at key entry and exit points around the city. Rescue boats will be stationed along the coast, where strong currents and cold Pacific water pose annual risks during the holiday period. Drones will provide aerial surveillance over crowded areas.
Statewide Baja California Deployment Tops 3,500
Across Baja California, roughly 3,500 security personnel from multiple agencies will be on duty during the same period. The statewide figure includes state police, transit officers, and civil protection teams in cities like Ensenada, Rosarito, Mexicali, and Tecate.
The Easter week deployment comes after a turbulent stretch for Tijuana’s security situation. In February, cartel violence prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a shelter-in-place advisory for U.S. citizens in parts of Baja California. Also in February, Burgueño Ruiz awarded annual bonuses to 1,823 active local police officers, citing the need to prepare for upcoming holiday seasons. On March 19, Mexico’s Defense Department flew more than 1,000 army troops into Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, and León as part of the country’s National Public Security Strategy.
Tijuana sits just south of the San Ysidro port of entry, the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere. Tens of thousands of people cross in both directions daily, and the Easter holiday typically brings a surge of Mexican American families heading south to visit relatives or vacation at Baja beaches. The operation runs through April 5, when Mexican schools resume classes, according to Punto Norte.