TEXAS - As the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border continues to get more complicated, impacted groups are taking a stand to protect their interests. The Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) has expressed its frustration and offered up solutions to the border trade crisis in two letters recently sent to U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, and Governor Greg Abbott of Texas.
To address the current border situation, McAleenan recently ordered the reassignment of 750 CBP agents from their regular positions at various points-of-entry (POEs) to assist Border Patrol, reported The Texas Tribune. TIPA has expressed concern that this reassignment will result in an immediate and considerable increase in wait times for all traffic crossing the border—including produce shipments.
In the letters, TIPA informs both officials that in just a few days wait times have grown from 30 minutes per truck to 4.5 hours per truck—wait times that the association suggests will continue to go up in the coming weeks due to Easter and Semana Santa (Holy Week in Mexico). The letters go into detail about what is on the line for the produce industry.
“Texas is the crossing point to nearly $7 billion dollars and more than 50% of all the fresh produce that arrives in the United States from Mexico,” the letter to Governor Abbott stated. “We have over 7,800 jobs that are directly reliant on the smooth and efficient flow of these goods, not to mention the many other thousands of jobs that indirectly depend on these products.”
The letter to Commissioner McAleenan acknowledged the security concerns that have led to the CBP personnel reassignment, but pushed for solutions to the problem.
“Can more be done to help facilitate the legal flow of the $533 billion of goods that cross our Southern Border?” TIPA asked in the letter. “Can personnel be repositioned from the other locations in the country like the Northern Border and Seaports to assist? Can personnel be called on from other departments, either federally or at the state level, to help with non-humanitarian/non-security related processes at the POEs?”
Not only does the lack of POE personnel slow the transportation of fresh produce to a crawl, but transportation and warehouse personnel must be paid for the extra time they spend just waiting. In the letters, TIPA cited the San Diego Association of Governments' and the California Department of Transportation’s statement which indicated that “even an extra 15 minutes of wait time could generate as much as $1 billion in lost productivity and 134,000 lost in jobs annually.”
The association stressed the urgency of the matter, as each day of the slowdown will be costly to produce companies, costs which will inevitably trickle down to consumers.
“Every day we delay, the wait times will continue to grow, industry will continue to suffer, and ultimately jobs will be lost,” TIPA implored in the letters. “We understand the immense pressure placed on the CBP during this time, but the legitimate and law-abiding industries that rely on the efficient flow of traffic across our POEs is suffering as well.”
Will the contacted officials come to the aid of the produce industry? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on this story as it develops.
