Greg Abbott's call for more vehicle inspections at the border is causing delays and supply chain

Greg Abbott’s call for more vehicle inspections at the border is causing delays and supply chain issues, locals say

by James Barragán, Texas Tribune


Commercial vehicles trying to enter the United States to deliver products from Mexico have been backed up for hours at Texas ports of entry following Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive on Wednesday that state troopers increase inspections.

“This continues to add disruption to our supply chain,” said Ermilo Richer, the owner of a 100-year-old logistics company in Laredo who said his trucks were taking between four and five hours to cross from Mexico. “It’s just something we don’t need right now.”

Abbott’s order is part of his push to stiffen security at the state’s southern border as the Biden administration in Washington, D.C., plans to end a pandemic-era emergency health order that had allowed federal officials to turn away migrants, even those seeking asylum. But officials in cities that depend on cross-border trade as economic engines fear negative impacts that the increased vehicle inspections could have.

“We value border security but it’s got to be weighed very carefully with the Texas economy,” said Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz. “Any slowdown in commerce at our bridges is a definite slowdown in our economy.”

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/04/08/texas-border-operation-inspections-delays/