Restrictions on so-called nonessential northbound trips were lifted in early November. Since then, the number of personal vehicles crossing the border into Arizona at major ports has returned to — and in some cases exceeded — pre-pandemic figures, new federal data show.

For example, in San Luis, nearly 270,000 cars crossed in January, up nearly 5% from the last pre-pandemic January.

While also up, pedestrian crossings remain well below pre-pandemic levels. The 180,000 or so pedestrians who crossed this January in Nogales were down 36% from January 2020.