Dozens of major U.S. agricultural groups on Wednesday urged the U.S. to reopen two rail crossings on the Texas-Mexico border in an effort by businesses to restore the trade routes shuttered because of increased migrant crossings.
In a sharply worded letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the growers – representing corn, milk, rice and soybean producers, among others – said the crossings could be easily reopened and that closures already had caused steep export losses.
“Each day the crossings are closed we estimate almost 1 million bushels of grain exports are potentially lost along with export potential for many other agricultural products,” the groups wrote, adding that blocking food heading to Mexico could lead to inflation or food insecurity there.
Among the groups signing the agricultural business letter were the National Grain and Feed Association, U.S. Wheat Associates, American Soybean Association and National Corn Growers Association.
The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended about 10,800 migrants at the southwest border on Monday, according to an internal agency report reviewed by Reuters, a tally several current and former officials said was near or at a single-day record high.
The news came after Mexico’s immigration agency said in an internal December 1 memo reviewed by Reuters that it would suspend migrant removals because of an end-of-year funding crunch.
Operations should return to normal in January, a Mexican source familiar with the matter said, adding that the U.S. closure of legal border crossings appeared to be an attempt by the U.S. to pressure Mexico over the scaled-back enforcement.
Mexico’s foreign ministry spokesperson said no date had been set for resuming the repatriations.
The agricultural groups said CBP could reopen the railroad bridges with as few as five employees per crossing, challenging the agency’s rationale for closing the trade routes.
Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said on Tuesday that illegal crossings were “presenting a serious challenge” and that CBP was using all available resources to keep agents and migrants safe.
Billions in monthly trade
In October, total rail freight between the El Paso and Eagle Pass ports topped $3 billion in both directions, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That accounted for 4% of total trade across the U.S.-Mexico border that month.
Neil Bradley, chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement to Reuters that the rail shutdowns “will inflict significant economic harm” and “do nothing to secure the border.”
The increase in migrant crossings comes as Democratic President Joe Biden, who is running for re-election in 2024, has sought to strike a deal with Republican lawmakers that would pair increased U.S. border security with military aid for Ukraine and Israel.
But a bipartisan group of senators negotiating a compromise have so far failed to reach a deal as a Christmas break approaches.
Eagle Pass and El Paso have received thousands of newcomers in recent days, as migrants – including many families with young children – make their way to the border by bus, atop cargo trains, on foot and even by bicycle.
On Wednesday in Eagle Pass, hundreds of migrants were being held in an outdoor area near the Rio Grande. Three migrants were carried out with medical emergencies in the afternoon while others called out for food, a Reuters witness said.
During a press conference near the border, U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican who represents Eagle Pass, urged U.S. lawmakers to make legal changes to deter illegal border crossings that have disrupted trade and transit.
“This has to come to an end,” Gonzales said. “We need to have open trade and commerce again.”
Some 270 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been pulled from their jobs handling deportations and international investigations to help with migrant transport and other tasks at the border, a Department of Homeland Security official told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss internal operations.
Union Pacific said in a statement on its website that a range of products – including grain, beer, metals, cement and automotive parts – have been halted because of the closures. 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, the rail company said.
BNSF declined to comment on the value of goods affected by the closings.
In addition to the railroad crossing closures, U.S. border authorities this month have closed a busy pedestrian crossing near San Diego, California, and another crossing in remote Lukeville, Arizona, to free up workers to process arriving migrants.
Dozens of major U.S. agricultural groups on Wednesday urged the U.S. to reopen two rail crossings on the Texas-Mexico border in an effort by businesses to restore the trade routes shuttered because of increased migrant crossings.
In a sharply worded letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the growers – representing corn, milk, rice and soybean producers, among others – said the crossings could be easily reopened and that closures already had caused steep export losses.
“Each day the crossings are closed we estimate almost 1 million bushels of grain exports are potentially lost along with export potential for many other agricultural products,” the groups wrote, adding that blocking food heading to Mexico could lead to inflation or food insecurity there.
Among the groups signing the agricultural business letter were the National Grain and Feed Association, U.S. Wheat Associates, American Soybean Association and National Corn Growers Association.
The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended about 10,800 migrants at the southwest border on Monday, according to an internal agency report reviewed by Reuters, a tally several current and former officials said was near or at a single-day record high.
The news came after Mexico’s immigration agency said in an internal December 1 memo reviewed by Reuters that it would suspend migrant removals because of an end-of-year funding crunch.
Operations should return to normal in January, a Mexican source familiar with the matter said, adding that the U.S. closure of legal border crossings appeared to be an attempt by the U.S. to pressure Mexico over the scaled-back enforcement.
Mexico’s foreign ministry spokesperson said no date had been set for resuming the repatriations.
The agricultural groups said CBP could reopen the railroad bridges with as few as five employees per crossing, challenging the agency’s rationale for closing the trade routes.
Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said on Tuesday that illegal crossings were “presenting a serious challenge” and that CBP was using all available resources to keep agents and migrants safe.
Billions in monthly trade
In October, total rail freight between the El Paso and Eagle Pass ports topped $3 billion in both directions, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That accounted for 4% of total trade across the U.S.-Mexico border that month.
Neil Bradley, chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement to Reuters that the rail shutdowns “will inflict significant economic harm” and “do nothing to secure the border.”
The increase in migrant crossings comes as Democratic President Joe Biden, who is running for re-election in 2024, has sought to strike a deal with Republican lawmakers that would pair increased U.S. border security with military aid for Ukraine and Israel.
But a bipartisan group of senators negotiating a compromise have so far failed to reach a deal as a Christmas break approaches.
Eagle Pass and El Paso have received thousands of newcomers in recent days, as migrants – including many families with young children – make their way to the border by bus, atop cargo trains, on foot and even by bicycle.
On Wednesday in Eagle Pass, hundreds of migrants were being held in an outdoor area near the Rio Grande. Three migrants were carried out with medical emergencies in the afternoon while others called out for food, a Reuters witness said.
During a press conference near the border, U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican who represents Eagle Pass, urged U.S. lawmakers to make legal changes to deter illegal border crossings that have disrupted trade and transit.
“This has to come to an end,” Gonzales said. “We need to have open trade and commerce again.”
Some 270 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been pulled from their jobs handling deportations and international investigations to help with migrant transport and other tasks at the border, a Department of Homeland Security official told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss internal operations.
Union Pacific said in a statement on its website that a range of products – including grain, beer, metals, cement and automotive parts – have been halted because of the closures. 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, the rail company said.
BNSF declined to comment on the value of goods affected by the closings.
In addition to the railroad crossing closures, U.S. border authorities this month have closed a busy pedestrian crossing near San Diego, California, and another crossing in remote Lukeville, Arizona, to free up workers to process arriving migrants.
Dozens of major U.S. agricultural groups have called on the U.S. government to reopen two rail crossings on the Texas-Mexico border that were closed due to increased migrant crossings. In a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the agricultural groups, representing corn, milk, rice, and soybean producers, among others, highlighted the steep export losses caused by the closures. They estimated that almost 1 million bushels of grain exports are potentially lost each day the crossings remain closed, which could lead to inflation or food insecurity in Mexico. The closures have affected billions of dollars in monthly trade between the two countries. The agricultural groups argued that the crossings could be easily reopened with minimal staffing. The closure of the crossings comes as the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended approximately 10,800 migrants at the southwest border in a single day, a near-record high. Mexico’s immigration agency has suspended migrant removals due to a funding crunch, and it is expected that operations will return to normal in January. The closure of legal border crossings by the U.S. is seen as an attempt to pressure Mexico over scaled-back enforcement. The rail shutdowns have been criticized for causing significant economic harm and doing nothing to secure the border. The increase in migrant crossings has become a challenge for the Biden administration, which has sought to strike a deal with Republican lawmakers on border security. Meanwhile, Eagle Pass and El Paso have seen a large influx of migrants, with thousands arriving in recent days. Union Pacific and BNSF, two major rail companies, have reported significant disruptions to cross-border shipments due to the closures. In addition to the rail crossing closures, U.S. border authorities have also closed other crossings to allocate resources to process arriving migrants.
