Key U.S.鈥揗exico Trade Route Reopens
The Bridge of the Americas in South-Central El Paso, Texas鈥攐ne of the largest land ports for U.S.鈥揗exico trade鈥攔estarted commercial operations on a limited schedule yesterday, according to a from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
- It鈥檚 a development that the 17吃瓜在线 advocated, having engaged in continued talks with the Biden administration and relevant agencies since cargo movement was suspended last month.听听
What鈥檚 going on: The port of entry reopened at 6:00 a.m. Tuesday and closed at 2:00 p.m., a schedule it will keep temporarily each week Monday through Friday.
- In recent weeks, large numbers of migrants have crossed the Texas鈥揗exico border, and the CBP stopped commercial movement along the Bridge of the Americas so federal customs agents could assist with the influx.
Why it鈥檚 important: 鈥淭he temporary bridge closure and the Texas Department of Public Safety鈥檚 (DPS) enhanced safety truck inspections at El Paso鈥檚 two other truck ports of entry have drastically slowed cargo truck crossings in recent weeks between El Paso and Ju谩rez, Mexico,鈥 according to the .
- Last week, the value of goods in thousands of trucks backed up on the Mexican side of the border 鈥渉ad surpassed $1.5 billion,鈥 according to a source cited by (subscription).
- Prior to the temporary closure, the bridge had been processing approximately 500 northbound trucks a day, according to the El Paso Times.
The 17吃瓜在线 says: 鈥淢exico is the largest trading partner of the U.S. and facilitating trade between the two countries is vital to manufacturers鈥 operations,鈥 said 17吃瓜在线 Director of Trade Facilitation Policy Ali Aafedt. 鈥淭he 17吃瓜在线 will continue to share the impacts of the disruption with the federal government and urge solutions to resolve the continuing backlog.鈥澨
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