[ad_1]
Cars and trucks face long waiting times at several border crossings between Mexico and the United States following the decision to redeploy US border agents to deal with a considerable number of migrants.
Drivers have to wait until 10 am before crossing between Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua and El Paso, Texas, where long queues of old generate chaos and congestion on several major avenues, the newspaper says. l & # 39; universal reported.
About 350 semi-trailers filled with products made in local factories have been waiting to cross the border since before 01:00, El Diario de Juarez I said.
To reduce the discomfort of drivers stuck in their vehicles for such long periods of time, the Ciudad Juárez authorities have installed portable toilets along the roads leading to the city's three ports of entry into the United States.
While the media announce several hours of waiting before moving on to El Paso, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said this morning that the longest wait time at all three Entry points was two hours to the Zaragoza International Bridge.
A long line of trucks stalled in Ciudad Juárez.
The delays follow CBP's decision to remove staff from official border crossings to facilitate the handling of an influx of migrants into the United States. Some ports at the ports of entry have therefore been closed.
Travelers to many other northern border crossings are also experiencing significant delays, while only Baja California entry points are functioning normally.
Capufe, the federal agency responsible for bridges and highways, has announced a two to seven hour wait for motorists who were trying to enter the United States from Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros to Tamaulipas and Piedras Negras and Ciudad Acuña in Coahuila.
"They [CBP] work at 40% [capacity] . . . The border of Tamaulipas is half closed, "said Julio Almanza, president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism of Tamaulipas.
Waiting times in Nuevo Laredo averaged seven hours yesterday, while all car lanes on the Reynosa-Pharr international bridge were closed for several hours to allow trucks stranded since Monday to enter in the USA.
A demonstration by farmers in Tamaulipas has aggravated the situation. They blocked the port of entry for eight hours on Monday as part of a campaign demanding more government help.
It is feared that congestion at the border will only worsen in the coming weeks due to soaring cross-border traffic during the Easter holiday period.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has renewed his threat to close the border this morning, but instead of ordering the Mexican authorities to do more to stem illegal immigration, he urged the US Congress to support his plans for the border.
"Congress must come together and immediately eliminate loopholes at the border! If no action, border or large sections of border are closed. It's a national emergency! He wrote on Twitter.
If the border were to close completely, Mexico's trade revenue losses could reach US $ 808.8 million per day.
This figure is based on data from the US Department of Transportation showing that Mexican exports to the United States via land borders amounted to US $ 295.2 billion in 2018.
"The impact would be huge," said Francisco Cervantes, president of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers (Concamin).
Pedro Chavira, chairman of the Chihuahua branch of the National Council of Maquiladoras Industry (Index Nacional), said that huge losses had already been suffered because of border delays, but that it was impossible to quantify the exact amount.
President López Obrador spoke of Trump's threat to close the border at this morning's press conference.
"The closure of the borders is in nobody's interest," he said.
"It's not the most advisable thing. I'm glad the United States Government now recognizes that we're helping [on migration] and we will continue to do it. . . "
Source: El Universal (sp), El Diario (sp), El Mañana (sp), Reforma (sp), Central Valley (en)
[ad_2]
Source link
