Texas Border Crossings Suspension Due to Migrant Surge Halted Over Half a Billion Dollars' Worth of Trade

Major railroads Union-Pacific and BNSF, facing significant economic setbacks, are urging the immediate reopening of two vital Texas border crossings - El Paso and Eagle Pass, according to CNBC.

These closures, initiated earlier this week due to a surge in migrant crossings, have halted almost half a billion dollars in trade, affecting the flow of goods and services.

Union Pacific, responsible for $200 million worth of daily trade through these crossings, faces a considerable impact on its operations.

The closure prompted the US Customs and Border Protection to suspend rail operations at El Paso and Eagle Pass, where both US Mexico railroads collectively operate 24 trains daily.

BNSF, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, is still assessing the economic impact of the situation.

For Union Pacific, these borders constitute 45% of its cross-border business.

The closure has resulted in an embargo on customers' goods, affecting more than 60 trains and nearly 4,500 rail cars, with equivalent goods held in Mexico.

Besides economic concerns, it presents a labor issue, with employees unable to work and uncertainty about their return.

According to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data, El Paso and Eagle Pass accounted for $33.95 billion, or 35.8%, of all cross-border rail traffic from November 2022 to October 2023.

Agricultural Groups Demand Reopening

In response to the closure of the Texas border crossings, dozens of major US agricultural groups, representing corn, milk, rice, soybean producers, and others, have penned a letter to US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

They emphasized the urgent need to reopen the Texas border crossings, Eagle Pass, and El Paso rail crossings to restore trade routes critical for their businesses.

Expressing concern over steep export losses, the agricultural groups estimate that almost 1 million bushels of grain exports are lost daily, impacting various agricultural products, Reuters reports.

The closure not only hampers trade but could lead to inflation or food insecurity in Mexico by blocking essential food shipments.

The US Chamber of Commerce and railroad companies have also joined the call for reopening these crucial trade routes.

Migrant Surge Causes Suspension of Texas Border Crossings

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the temporary suspension of operations at the Texas border crossings starting Monday, per CNN.

This measure was taken in response to a significant surge in US Mexico border crossings by migrants, which has strained federal resources.

The CBP revealed that nearly 3,000 migrants were apprehended in Del Rio, Texas, and around 1,300 migrants in El Paso on a single Sunday.

This surge has prompted the CBP to prioritize border security and redirect personnel to handle the evolving situation.

The Biden administration has recently closed several ports of entry to either vehicular or pedestrian crossings in various locations, including Eagle Pass, Texas, Lukeville, Arizona, and San Ysidro, California.

The CBP attributes the migrant surge to misinformation orchestrated by transnational criminal organizations and cartels.

To address this, the agency is collaborating with Mexican authorities and taking additional actions to surge personnel.

In November, border authorities apprehended about 192,000 migrants between ports of entry, representing a 2% increase compared to October, according to US Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens.

The CBP remains vigilant to manage the challenging developments at the US Mexico border.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: US suspends railway operations at international crossings into Texas amid migrant crisis - From The National Desk