Experts weigh in on long-term impacts of enhanced DPS checks at the border
Related Story
Traffic was flowing much faster for northbound traffic headed into Texas on the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge on Monday.
This comes after Gov. Greg Abbott signed an agreement with the Tamaulipas governor on Friday to discontinue enhanced inspection checks for commercial vehicles.
RELATED: Valley produce companies recovering from shipping delays
The city of Pharr reported losses in trade topping a billion dollars after traffic on the bridge ground to halt for nearly the entire week.
"Which seems to me to be more political and electoral than anything else,” said Tony Payán, a political science professor at Rice University.
Payán says with Abbott facing re-election in November, the governor wants to show Republican voters how he's able to take control of drug and human smuggling on the border.
RELATED: Enhanced safety inspections led to a loss of $1 billion in trade, city of Pharr says
But, it’s coming at a high cost to taxpayers— $3 billion to be exact.
"These are problems that Mexico City and Washington D.C. have to engage, otherwise they're never going to be solved,” Payán said.
Payán adds Texas should also respect the USMCA Free Trade Agreement signed between the U.S., Mexico and Canada in which all three countries agree to allow legal and quick cross border trade.
Industry leaders said last week, the U.S. and Mexico have suffered the consequences of late shipments of produce and mechanical parts at a time when both economies are trying to recover.
News
