One of the busiest trade ports on the U.S.-Mexico border remained effectively closed Wednesday as frustration and traffic snarls mounted over new orders by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott requiring extra inspections of commercial trucks as part of the Republican’s sprawling border security operation.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday defied mounting pressure to immediately end truck inspections that have gridlocked the U.S.-Mexico border for days, saying that despite miles-long backups and spoiled produce, he would not rescind his new order at all bridges until he gets more assurances of security.
"I understand the concerns that businesses have trying to move product across the border," Abbott said in Laredo, where he was joined by García. "But I also know well the frustration of my fellow Texans and my fellow Americans caused by the Biden administration not securing our border.
The gridlock is the fallout of an initiative that Abbott says is needed to curb human trafficking and the flow of drugs. Abbott ordered the inspections as part of "unprecedented actions" he promised in response to the Biden administration winding down a public health law that has limited asylum-seekers in the name of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
"I do describe it as a crisis, because this is not the normal way of doing business," said Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, whose county includes the bridge in Pharr. "You’re talking about billions of dollars. When you stop that process, I mean, there are many, many, many, many people that are affected."
An estimated 3,000 trucks cross the Pharr bridge on a normal day, according to the National Freight Transportation Chamber. The bridge is the largest land port for produce entering the U.S.The additional inspections are conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which said that as of Monday, it had inspected more than 3,400 commercial vehicles and placed more than 800 "out of service" for violations that included defective brakes, tires and lighting.
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