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Migrant closures of US borders slow train trade

  • December 20, 2023
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Companies Railway and business groups are putting pressure on the government USA open trade routes on the border between Texas and Mexicoafter authorities closed two crossings in response

Migrant closures of US borders slow train trade

Companies Railway and business groups are putting pressure on the government USA open trade routes on the border between Texas and Mexicoafter authorities closed two crossings in response to an increase in immigrant passage in recent days.

Border Patrol The US detained several 10,800 migrants on the southwest border on Monday, according to an internal agency report that can be seen Reuters. About 40% were families or unaccompanied children.

Several current and former U.S. officials noted that the number of migrants encountered Monday was close to or at the single-day record.

“The levels of encounters we are currently seeing on the southwest border pose a significant challenge to the men and women of CBP,” the acting CBP commissioner said in a statement. Customs and Border Protection from the United States (KBP)Troy Miller.

He also added that the agency is using “all available resources” to ensure the safety of agents and migrants.

Business groups and rail operators are calling on authorities to reopen railway bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso that U.S. border authorities closed Dec. 18 to “redirect personnel” to processing migrants crossing the border.

“Closing rail service through Eagle Pass and El Paso would cause significant economic harm,” said Neil Bradley, policy director Chamber of Commerce USA in a statement to Reuters, while declaring, “Stopping legitimate trade traffic will have no impact on border security.”

In October, total rail freight volume between the ports of El Paso and Eagle Pass topped $3 billion in both directions, according to the agency. Department of Transport U.S.A. This accounted for about 4% of total cross-border trade that month.

Round-trip rail freight between the United States and Mexico totaled $8.4 billion in October, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. This figure contrasts with the $51.2 billion transported by truck.

“The need to reopen these crossings and restore rail service between the two countries cannot be minimized,” the company’s president and CEO said. Association of American Railroads, Ian Jeffries in a statement published on the trade group’s website.

“Every day the border remains closed causes a cascade of delays in transactions on both sides of the border, impacting customers and ultimately consumers,” he added.

The surge in immigrants comes at a time when a Democratic president Joe Bidenup for re-election in 2024, tried to reach an agreement with Republican lawmakers that would combine enhanced border security with military aid Ukraine and Israel.

However, a bipartisan group of senators negotiating a compromise has so far failed to reach an agreement ahead of the summer recess. Christmas.

The Texas cities of Eagle Pass and El Paso have welcomed thousands of new arrivals in recent days as migrants, including many families with small children, head to the border on buses, freight trains, on foot and even on bicycles.

In Eagle Pass on Tuesday, hundreds of migrants, some wrapped in blankets, waited outdoors near a river to be processed by U.S. border authorities.

Union Pacific and BNSF Railwayfrom Berkshire HathawayThe country’s two largest freight rail companies have warned of supply chain disruptions ahead of the Christmas holidays due to rail bridge closures.

“Each day of closure increases the impact on the supply chain of key raw materials such as cars, industrial goods and cereals“he declared, Reuters Lena Kent, spokeswoman for BNSF Railway.

BNSF declined to comment on the cost of goods affected by the closure.

Union Pacific said in a statement on its website that a range of products, including grain, beer, metals, cement and auto parts – stopped due to store closures. The closed bridges account for about 45% of cross-border traffic, and the global economic impact of the closures will be more than $200 million per day.

On Tuesday, the main agricultural lobby group in Mexico, CNA also expressed concern about the “huge losses” expected for agricultural trade due to the closures.

In addition to closing railroad crossings, U.S. border officials this month closed a busy pedestrian crossing near San Diego, California and another one on the remote Lukeville, Arizona release workers to process arriving migrants.

Reuters

Source: Aristegui Noticias

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