Truckers lift blockade at Ysleta port of entry

Wait times remain higher than normal at El Paso commercial border crossings as DPS continues truck inspections

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Mexican truckers have lifted their blockade of the commercial lanes at the Ysleta Port of Entry.

Trucks began making their way from Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, since late Tuesday night, when drivers ended a two-day protest. The truckers are upset about a spike in wait times to cross into the United States. The spike coincided with the start of the Enhanced Border Inspections program by the state of Texas.

Some truckers have told Border Report they have waited up to 12 hours in line to bring manufactured goods and parts across the border; some have said individual DPS inspections are taking up to 40 minutes.

DPS has responded to Border Report and KTSM inquiries by saying it doesn’t discuss operational details.

On Wednesday morning, wait times for commercial trucks at Ysleta were 80 minutes, which is three times longer than usual, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

Chihuahua Gov. Maru Campos, whose staff persuaded the Mexican truckers to lift their blockade, said Texas’ “hardening” of truck inspections has caused a crisis on the Texas-Mexico border.

“We have seen long lines of commercial vehicles in Juarez and other points along the border,” she said, adding regional leaders were holding talks to speed up binational commerce.

“I am making a call to the governors of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila and Tamaulipas (all bordering Texas) so we remain united and seek a dialogue with the government of Texas,” Campos said. “We are asking Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to keep an open mind to dialogue and compromise.”

The Chihuahua governor said she recently went to Washington, D.C., and expressed to U.S. federal officials her willingness to address public safety concerns, such as drug trafficking and human smuggling along the border.

“This is an issue that can also be solved with a clear, binational strategy,” she said. “Border security is a priority, so much so that we are relocating our public safety headquarters to Juarez, where we are setting up the Sentinel program of 4,000 ‘smart’ cameras.”

She said Sentinel will allow Chihuahua police to track commercial trucks from the moment they come out of an industrial park in Juarez until they cross into the United States.

Campos said she’s willing to share that information with U.S. authorities and also with commercial partners with operations on both sides of the border.