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Despite high dollar, citizens continue making purchases in the United States It is impressive that even though the dollar is so high, Mexican citizens make purchases in the United States. On May 12 in exchange houses that are close to the checkpoint, the exchange rate was up to 18.30 pesos per dollar. Since May 4, the Mexican currency has been declining and this has caused the exchange rate to be more than 18 pesos per dollar. Despite of the increase of the dollar, dozens of Mexicans spent part of their Saturday enduring rows of several hours to go to American territory and make their purchases of the week or just go to entertain on the other side of the border barrier. Many people see the in television that is so long the line to go to the United States and when they reach the borderline, they see the long line that they have to wait. Ana Maria Peña who is a Mexican citizen, said that she does not line up because she has sentri but if she did not have this, she would not go shopping four times in a week to United States. Per week, Ana Maria spends more than 30 dollars in only food in the United States and says that this is because the food is cheaper there than in Mexicali. When she go shopping with her children most of the time, the place that they visited the most is of the time is “outlets”. She said that in Mexico the clothes are more expensive because when the clothes were import the citizens have to pay for the import of the product and the need to raise the price to have gain. (That is what Ana Maria Peña thinks) There are many equal cases as the case of Ana Maria; there are more people who think in the same way like her. By: Wendy Granados 3