BROWNSVILLE, Texas – South Texas leaders are asking Gov. Greg Abbott why he has curtailed international trade at two land ports of entry in Cameron County.
On Thursday, Abbott ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to start inspecting every truck crossing Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates and the Free Trade International Bridge at Los Indios.
In a joint news release, state Sen. Morgan LaMantia, D-South Padre Island, and state Rep. Erin Elizabeth Gámez, D-Brownsville, said their offices have had many conversations with DPS since Tuesday regarding the “enhanced inspection methods” being implemented at Veterans International Bridge.
“We are very concerned with the negative impact these enhanced inspections are having on international trade and the Texas economy. We understand the need to keep Texas roadways safe for everyone; however, we strongly urge the Department to consider the devastating impact these techniques are having on our local small business owners, the community, and the Texas economy as a whole,” LaMantia and Gámez (pictured above) said.
“The last time these methods were utilized, studies revealed the Texas economy suffered billions in lost gross domestic product.”
This last point refers to Gov. Abbott’s decision in April 2022 to have trucks inspected at South Texas land ports of entry. Millions of dollars worth of fruit and vegetables rotted in the trucks.
LaMantia and Gámez said they have heard from many local stakeholders regarding their concerns and frustrations.
“We echo many of those same concerns and frustrations. We hope that the Department will quickly return to the equilibrium that has allowed for a safe and prosperous Texas,” the lawmakers stated.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, told Border Report it was a PR stunt.
“It’s all show because they (DPS) cannot open the trucks. They can only check for brakes, they can only check for windshield wipers and stuff. They cannot open the trailers, the cargo trailers. So it’s all for show, but I guess they want to delay to send a message to the Mexicans,” Cuellar told the publication.
Congressman Vicente Gonzalez
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Brownsville, voiced his concerns in a letter to Abbott.
“Your catastrophic policies requiring additional and unnecessary inspections in April of 2022, cost the state of Texas an estimated $477 million per day. Our communities should not have to pay the price of your failure,” Gonzalez said, in the letter.
“The efficient flow of cross-border commerce is critical to our nation’s economic stability, and additional, uncoordinated inspections will significantly impact local supply chains in Texas and across the United States.”
Gonzalez said Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates and the Free Trade International Bridge at Los Indios “have already started to see negative impacts on consumers and businesses and are reportedly experiencing eight-to-ten-hour delays.”
He pointed out that the these two ports of entry account for more than $10.5 billion in cross-border commerce annually.
Here is Congressman Gonzalez’s letter in full:
May 4, 2023
The Honorable Greg Abbott Governor of Texas
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711 Dear Governor Abbott,
I write urging you to provide all information utilized to justify requiring the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to inspect every commercial vehicle crossing through Veterans International Bridge and the Free Trade International Bridge at Los Indios, and request you immediately halt inspections until such information is provided. These additional inspections will severely disrupt trade, further exacerbate our supply chains, and raise prices for countless of hard-working American families.
Your catastrophic policies requiring additional and unnecessary inspections in April of 2022, cost the state of Texas an estimated $477 million per day. Our communities should not have to pay the price of your failure. The efficient flow of cross-border commerce is critical to our nation’s economic stability, and additional, uncoordinated inspections will significantly impact local supply chains in Texas and across the United States. The Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates and the Free Trade International Bridge at Los Indios, where these inspections are taking place, have already started to see negative impacts on consumers and businesses and are reportedly experiencing eight-to-ten-hour delays. These two ports of entry account for more than $10.5 billion in cross-border commerce annually.
Failing to provide an advanced notice to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and local officials on these additional state inspections inhibits the efficient flow of commerce and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) ability to conduct timely inspections. Though DPS has cited safety compliance issues, including vehicle maintenance and driver qualifications, as cause for these inspections, no such reports warranting this extra layer of inspections have been shared with relevant officials.
I share your concerns with reports of noncompliance and prioritize the safety of South Texans above all else. However, I am concerned that this inspection regime is limited to ports of entry within the 34th District of Texas. To that end, I request that you provide the following information:
1. Please provide a thorough record of compliance issues reported by DPS leading up to DPS inspections at Veterans International Bridge and Free Trade International Bridge at Los Indios.
2. Are Veterans International Bridge and Los Indios the only international bridges in Texas experiencing compliance issues?
a. Please provide any additional information as to why these inspections were only implemented at the aforementioned locations.
b. Please provide regular compliance reports as long as DPS conducts these inspections.
3. Was the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, any Congressional office, and/or local authorities informed these inspections would begin before May 2, 2023?
4. How many inspection agents will be assigned to these locations while these inspections are occurring to limit disruptions to legitimate traffic and trade?
I urge you to provide this information to the people of South Texas and the American business community that is most effected as soon as possible, and work with federal and local officials to meet compliance standards transparently and reinstate normal commercial inspection procedures.
Sincerely,
Vicente Gonzalez Member of Congress
Texas Border Coalition
The Texas Border Coalition, which represents cities and counties from Brownsville to El Paso, has also weighed in. The group said the DPS truck inspections were “unnecessary, duplicative, and costly.”
In a letter to Abbott, El Paso County Commissioner and TBC Chairman David Stout said the beefed-up safety inspections have resulted in massive wait times of eight to 10 hours. Stout said this will harm those whose business depends on trade with Mexico.
“Trade with Mexico is one of the most important economic drivers for Texas, generating more than $650 billion in economic activity in 2021,” Stout said. “That is why any type of obstacle to trade is harmful for the state and the lives of the people in it.”
The Commissioner noted that the ever-growing trade relationship with Mexico must be met with efficiency to foster its growth.
“An international border that is more efficient but also safer is beneficial to Texas’ competitiveness and enhances the state’s overall economic vitality,” Stout said.
Stout said that by some estimates, Texas lost more than $470 million a day in cross-border trade when DPS increased inspections of commercial vehicles at the border in April 2022. That equated to a loss of more than $4.2 billion in goods and services and the equivalent of 36,000 jobs.
He said that according to Texas DPS’ own 2023 Motor Vehicle Stop Data Report, the Texas-Mexico border region is disproportionately impacted by motor vehicle stops compared to other regions of the state.
A better approach, Stout said, is for DPS to partner with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in order to assist with inspections at land ports.
Here is a letter Stout sent to Abbott on behalf of TBC:
May 4, 2023
The Honorable Greg Abbott
Governor of Texas
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711
In re: Disruptions to international trade caused by DPS truck inspections at Veterans and Los Indios International Bridges
Dear Governor Abbott,
On behalf of the Texas Border Coalition, I write to reiterate our deep concern over the unnecessary inspections that the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is conducting on every commercial vehicle crossing Veterans and Los Indios International Bridges in Cameron County through May 7, 2023. These inspections, which are duplicative, costly and result in massive wait times of 8 to 10 hours in some cases, threaten to harm those whose business depends on trade with Mexico.
The Texas Border Coalition (TBC) acts as the collective voice of border communities on issues that affect Texas-Mexico border region’s quality of life, commerce, and public policy. TBC is comprised of mayors, city council members, county judges, county executives, businesses, corporations, and community leaders. Collectively, we represent more than 2.8 million people who reside along the more than 1,250 miles of the Texas-Mexico border, from Brownsville to El Paso, Texas. We believe in the economic vibrancy of our border region, but its potential to revitalize is dependent on evolving commercial circularity.
Trade with Mexico is one of the most important economic drivers for Texas, generating more than $650 billion in economic activity in 2021. That is why any type of obstacle to trade is harmful for the state and the lives of the people in it. The ever-growing trade relationship with our neighbors must be met with efficiency to foster its growth. An international border that is more efficient but also safer is beneficial to Texas’ competitiveness and enhances the state’s overall economic vitality.
By some estimates, Texas lost more than $470 million a day in cross-border trade when DPS increased inspections of commercial vehicles at the border in April 2022. That equates to a loss of more than $4.2 billion in goods and services and the equivalent of 36,000 jobs.
Texas DPS’ own 2023 Motor Vehicle Stop Data Report indicates the Texas-Mexico border region is disproportional impacted by motor vehicle stops compared to other regions of the state. This alone impacts the flow of trade.
We share your concerns regarding criminal activity along the border and recognize border management, with security as a critical component, as an essential part of trade circularity. However, we believe that there are more effective security measures that can be taken with the use of modern technology. We should invest in better technology along our southern border that aims to modernize land ports of entry, expedite trade, and help federal agents identify the real threats to our national security.
We welcome dialogue and collaborative efforts with and between our local, state, and federal agencies to help find an immediate solution to this issue which is causing major disruptions to multiple industries.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this important request. We look forward to a positive response on this matter, which has a severe economic impact on many communities in the U.S.-Mexico border region. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any of our border leaders on this critical issue.
Sincerely,
David Stout
Chairman, Texas Border Coalition
County Commissioner, El Paso County, Texas
CC: The Honorable Jane Nelson, Secretary of State, Texas
Texas Trade Advisory Committee Members
Texas Congressional Delegation Members
Mexican-American Legislative Caucus Members
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