Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has instituted more stringent measures at the southern Texas border in response to the federal government ending Title 42 expulsions from the U.S.
According to a press release issued Thursday, Abbott's measures seek to combat human trafficking and smuggling through increased rigor and quantity of inspections of most, if not all, northbound traffic from Mexico.
"As the federal government continues to roll back commonsense policies that once kept our communities safe, our local law enforcement has stepped up to protect Texans from dangerous criminals, deadly drugs and illegal contraband flooding into the Lone Star State," Gov. Abbott said in the press release. "Texas will always be a law-and-order state, and I thank our law-enforcement officers who have answered the call to protect and serve their fellow Texans in the federal government's absence in securing our border."
Abbott's increased measures have already had a significant impact on trade. Laredo Economic Development Director Teclo Garcia told Lone Star Standard, “We’re dealing with 20,000 truck crossings a day [in Laredo] — there are security issues but that’s why our federal partners are there. If [the state] wants to do more we can do more, but let’s not impede trade.”
“Of course, this is going to affect Laredo, El Paso and Brownsville, but the real impact is going to be in the supply chain, which is already strained, and the consumer,” Garcia said.
Houston Chronicle reports that as a result of Abbott's measures, truckers coming north from Mexico have seen wait times skyrocket and are blocking international trade of a major international artery in protest. The truckers in Mexico plan to continue these blockages until the wait times at the border decrease. Companies were citing issues with fuel consumption, cost increases and concern over spoiling produce due to the higher wait times.
“Governor Abbott’s unnecessary secondary inspections are killing business on the border,” U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-McAllen) said according to The Texas Tribune. “If this continues it will cause further supply line issues impacting America. And we will see prices of produce and other imports rise at the grocery store. He needs to allow the U.S. Customs and Border [Protection] inspection folks to do their job.”
The Lone Star Standard previously reported that Abbott said the following when announcing these policies: "With the Biden Administration ending Title 42 expulsions in May, Texas will be taking its own unprecedented actions this month to do what no state in America has ever done in the history of this country to better secure our state, as well as our nation."
Abbott also announced more aggressive vehicle inspections intended to slow human smuggling and trafficking, implementing what he described as a “zero-tolerance policy for unsafe vehicles used for smuggling.” He said this would “dramatically slow traffic from Mexico into Texas.”
