AP Photo/Ben Margot
- Protests blocked trade for a second day at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in McAllen, Texas.
- Mexican truck drivers are protesting additional security measures imposed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
- The screenings, announced last week, had caused commercial trade to reach a “stand-still.”
Mexican truck drivers blocked north-bound traffic at one of the busiest entry points into Texas for the second day in a row, a US official told Insider on Tuesday.
The drivers are protesting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to step up the screening of commercial trucks that cross the border. In an announcement last week, Abbott’s office described the policy as an effort to tackle “cartel-facilitated smuggling.”
The policy has caused significant delays, with a trip that used to take a couple of hours in some cases now taking more than 30.
The Texas Tribune reported that agents from the state’s Department of Public Safety appear “to be checking every commercial vehicle that crosses select international bridges,” with those inspections taking up to an hour per truck.
On Monday, Dante Galeazzi, president of the Texas International Produce Association, told Reuters that in less than a week the policy had blocked the importation of some $30 million in fresh produce. Last week, the association urged Abbott to scrap the policy and collaborate with the federal government on such screenings, saying the unilateral security measures had caused commercial traffic to reach a “stand-still.”
Fed-up truck drivers in Mexico decided on Monday to halt traffic themselves in protest, blocking access to the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, with Mexican outlet El Mañana reporting Tuesday that they were doing so again.
US Customs and Border Protection confirmed that the action is having a significant impact.
“The commercial traffic at Pharr International Bridge is currently halted temporarily, in both directions,” a CBP official told Insider, citing “a protest occurring on the Reynosa side of the bridge and due to no southbound movement by US carriers.”
A spokesperson for Abbott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com
Powered by WPeMatico
