A “heightened inspection cadence” is snarling traffic for hours at some of the busiest international bridges connecting Texas and Mexico and that has at least one local official asking for answers.
This week, crossing times at ports of entry in Brownsville have been as long as five hours or more, according to posts on social media. The hours-long delays have caught the attention of Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr., who late Thursday issued a statement asking U.S. Customs and Border Protection to “work with local partners” and “respect the economic vitality” of the region.
Treviño attributed the increased wait times to CBP increasing inspections of travelers coming into the country and added that continued delays pose a direct threat to the Rio Grande Valley’s economy.
“County officials are concerned that the heightened inspection cadence, which has led to increased and prolonged wait times, will result in supply chain disruptions to cities within Cameron County, pose a serious risk for broader regional economic disruption and create unwarranted delays for families and visitors crossing to and from Texas to Tamaulipas, Mexico,” Treviño said.
MySA reached out to CBP to confirm whether the agency is conducting increased inspections at South Texas ports of entry. The agency declined to answer but did say that, “All traffic applying for entry to the U.S. is subject to inspection and CBP is utilizing all available technology to the fullest.”
Lane closures have also been contributing to the delays. The Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge — often referred to as the “Old Bridge” — has four northbound inspection lanes, while the Brownsville Gateway International Bridge has five. However, only one lane at each bridge is currently open, and both bridges’ Ready Lanes are closed, according to CBP’s bridge crossings website.
The worst of the border crossing delays are happening in Brownsville, with wait times sometimes exceeding five hours at the Old Bridge. But other Valley bridges are also seeing longer crossing times. The McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge in neighboring Hidalgo County was reporting more than an hour’s wait as of Friday morning when typical crossing times are around 45 minutes.
On Facebook, a local gossip page called Nomorecheezmeh characterized the extraordinarily long bridge crossing times in Brownsville as “getting out of control.” The bridges are a crucial lifeline for people who live on one side of the border but go to work or school on the other. But now the delays are interfering with their daily routines.
“I literally went on Saturday. I did 3 1/2 hours didn’t get home till almost 4 o’clock in the morning. It’s freaking ridiculous,” one person commented on Nomorecheemeh’s post.
Another person said they usually wait until 10 a.m. to cross, since by that time school children have already made the crossing and the traffic has lightened. But this week, that 10 a.m. attempt took three hours.
“Now I’ll have to go at 5 in the morning,” the commenter wrote in Spanish.
The county’s top leader sympathizes — both with local residents and with CBP’s mission to ensure a safe border.
“We respect and appreciate everything CBP does to ensure Cameron County and our nation are protected. At the same time, we must also be mindful of our constituents and visitors… as well as respect the economic vitality of Cameron County, the Rio Grande Valley and the state of Texas,” Treviño said.