I used to live in San Diego and always found it baffling that the US requires people to go through this strange procedure. In San Diego, it is a russian-roulet

I used to live in San Diego and always found it baffling that the US requires people to go through this strange procedure. In San Diego, it is a russian-roulette type of play: you go to Tijuana (right across the border) and you either get a visa extension or you don't. If you don't, you're stuck in Tijuana. I know people (from Europe) that had to arrange for a trip home because they were denied a visa extension (J-type).