Authorities closed two crossings in response to a surge in migrants coming across the US-Mexico border, but this seems to be causing problems for trade. The migrant crossings are growing in size as US Border Patrol apprehended around 10,800 migrants on Monday alone..
Many U.S. representatives have acknowledged this number as a record high for migrants apprehended in one day.
“The encounter levels we are currently seeing across the southwest border are presenting a serious challenge to the men and women of CBP,” acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement.
With this issue still being present, many are looking for the trade route to open back up.
“Shutting down rail traffic through Eagle Pass and El Paso will inflict significant economic harm,” Neil Bradley, chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement to Reuters, while saying, “Halting the legal movement of commerce will do nothing to secure the border.”
There is a push for trade and railways to reopen in order to maintain the trading relationship between the two countries. It has caused major delays and people are not sure about the continuation of trade between the two countries.
“The urgency of reopening these crossings and restoring rail service between the two nations cannot be overstated,” the president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, Ian Jefferies, said in a statement on the trade group’s website.
“Every day the border remains closed unleashes a cascade of delay across operations on both sides of the border, impacting customers and ultimately consumers,” Jefferies said.
Some of the materials that are on hold for trade are automobiles, industrial products, and grains. The closed bridges account for about 45% of its cross-border shipments and the overall economic impact of the closure will be more than $200 million per day.
This is not the only route that has been closed throughout the US to accommodate heavy migrant traffic. The losses from the closures are expected to be huge and many experts are very concerned about what these closings will mean for trade and the economy.
