Gov. Greg Abbott announced a security agreement Wednesday with the governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo Le贸n that the two leaders say will return trade to normal operations after unprecedented stoppages and slowdowns at international bridges.
But the agreement will only affect Nuevo Le贸n, which shares the smallest segment of the border 鈥攁bout 14 kilometers 鈥� with Texas. It is home to the Colombia Solidarity Bridge, which is part of the Laredo customs district, the busiest in the county. But billions in two-way trade also cross through the ports that connect Texas with the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Chihuahua and Coahuila.
Abbott was joined by Nuevo Le贸n Governor Samuel Garc铆a to announce the agreement, which compels law enforcement in Nuevo Le贸n to increase inspections of vehicles before they arrive at the border.
Last week, Abbott ordered Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to begin enhanced inspections of commercial vehicles coming into Texas in response to the lifting next month of Title 42, a pandemic-era rule used to quickly expel migrants.
鈥淕ov. Garcia has begun and will continue enhanced border security measures on the Nuevo Le贸n side of the border, both at ports of entry and alongside the Rio Grande River to prevent illegal immigration from Nuevo Le贸n into Texas.鈥� Abbott said. 鈥淭he increase in border security in the Nuevo Le贸n side will continue going forward.鈥�
The enhanced inspections have led to wait times at international crossings that have reportedly exceeded 12 hours. It led Mexican truckers to block ports of entry in Tamaulipas and Chihuahua, which are not included in the agreement.
Teclo Garcia, the City of Laredo鈥檚 Economic Development Director, said as of Wednesday morning the blockades were ongoing at the Pharr port of entry. He called Wednesday鈥檚 agreement a good start but said the Colombia Solidarity Bridge does a fraction of what Laredo鈥檚 World Trade Bridge, which borders Tamaulipas, does daily.
鈥淚t鈥檚 maybe five times as much,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淐olombia is doing 1,000 or 1,500 trucks a day. World Trade is doing 9,000 trucks. And that鈥檚 just going one-way, northbound.鈥�
Abbott said his office has been contacted by the governors from the other three Mexican states but doubled down on the increased inspections, saying blame should be placed on President Biden.
鈥淭he ultimate way to end the clogged border is for President Biden to do his job and to secure the border,鈥� Abbott said. 鈥淵ou need to call your member of Congress and insist that they hold the Biden administration accountable.鈥�
He also said Texans frustrated with the trade slowdown should contact Mexican President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador to urge him to collaborate with Texas to end the 鈥渋nflux of cartel activity into Texas.鈥�
Abbott said about 25% of commercial trucks inspected so far have been flagged as being unsafe. But he deferred questions about if contraband was found in those trucks to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw was at the press conference and didn鈥檛 address the question.
Abbott has faced mounting backlash from business groups for the work stoppage. Abbott said those same groups have been 鈥渟houting for the past 15 months鈥� for Biden not to relax border restrictions.
鈥淭he people in Texas who may have suffered some hardship because it took a few extra hours to get something across the port, those are the very same Texans who agree overwhelmingly that we as a state and we as a people have suffered substantially from the open-border policies of the Biden administration,鈥� said Abbott.
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