January 24, 2024
PedWest is now operating from 6 am to 2 pm northbound, and 3 pm to 11 pm southbound.
Following a call between President Biden and President Lopez Obrador last month, where they agreed on the need for increased enforcement at the border, a U.S. delegation traveled to Mexico City to identify concrete actions to be taken.
At the time, several pedestrian, vehicle, and rail crossings continued to be suspended until further notice, severely impacting trade and border communities.
Senior officials including DHS Secretary Mayorkas, DOS Secretary Blinken, and White House Homeland Security adviser Sherwood-Randall met with President Lopez Obrador and other Mexican authorities in a shared commitment to address challenges at the border region.
This includes managing irregular migration, combating illicit drugs, and reopening key ports of entry. Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Barcena–with whom the Chamber met back in November–highlighted the “importance of reopening border crossings” as a priority for Mexico. More than 11,000 migrants continue to wait in shelters south of the border hoping to enter the U.S. through legal pathways such as the CBP One App.
Even partial port of entry closures have tremendous economic consequences. From food and fuel to auto parts, key supply chains are disrupted and prices begin to surge, not to mention that grocery and certain products could become scarce. Since their partial closure last month, rail operations in Eagle Pass and El Paso, TX, which account for $33.95 Billion in annual trade, have resumed.
In Lukeville, travelers had been adding a two- or three-hour detour to their closest ports of entry, and pedestrians waited up to five hours in San Ysidro during the busiest time of the year. CBP resumed vehicle and pedestrian operations in Eagle Pass, TX, Lukeville and Nogales, Arizona, and PedWest in San Ysidro, CA.
The Chamber continues to urge Secretary Mayorkas to avoid any disruptions to ports of entry moving forward, as each port plays a key role in bilateral trade and everyday life for our border communities.