The Republican governor dropped the new rules that required commercial trucks coming from Mexico to be subject to extra inspection to reduce the flow of migrants and drug-related trafficking. He also fought the Biden administration on immigration policy.
Truckers have reported that they waited more than 30 hours for their crossing. Some protestors blocked one of the busiest trade bridges on the planet.
Abbott, who is up to reelection in November, and has made border security his top priority, lifted all inspections after signing agreements with neighboring Mexican countries that, he claims, outline new commitments for border security. The last agreement was signed with Tamaulipas governor, who earlier in the week claimed that the inspections had been too invasive and caused havoc. He joined Abbott on Friday and stated that they were open to working together.
Abbott did not specify that lifting the inspections was conditional upon such arrangements with Mexico when he first ordered them .
As gridlock at the border worsened, pressure was mounting on Abbott to resign. American Trucking Association called inspections “wholly flawed, redundant, and adding considerable weight to an already stretched supply chain.” A Mexican customs agency estimated losses at millions of dollars per day. Produce distributors warned that empty shelves would result and prices would rise if the order wasn’t canceled soon.
While Abbot acknowledged trade slowdowns, he showed no regret. If Mexico does not honor the agreement, Abbot said he would reimpose inspections.
Abbott stated, “I’m not afraid to do so,”
The U.S.-Mexico frontier is vital to the U.S. economic. More of it is located in Texas, approximately 1,200 miles (1 931 kilometers) — more than any other state. Last year, the United States imported goods worth $390.7 billion from Mexico. This is second only to China.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspect trucks upon entry to the country. After the Biden administration announced that border restrictions on asylum claims would be lifted, Texas started its own inspections.
Abbott described the inspections as a “zero tolerance policy against unsafe vehicles” that smuggle migrants. He stated that Texas would respond to the removal of asylum restrictions by taking several steps, which will likely lead to an increase in migrants crossing the border.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, state troopers have inspected over 6,000 commercial vehicles in the last week. Nearly one in four trucks were stopped for violations by the Texas Department of Public Safety, including defective tires and brakes.
Steve McCraw, Department of Public Safety Director, stated that no human or drug trafficking was found by troopers during the inspections. McCraw described the incident as not surprising, stating that cartels were aware of the inspections.
Only 5% of CBP encounters result in migrants being stopped at entry ports. Most migrants cross between official crossings in mountains, deserts, and cities.
Drug seizures are a different story. Fentanyl, heroin and other hard drugs are seized more often at official crossings than between them. They are small and easy to spot due to their lack of smell.
Abbott also chartered buses to Washington, D.C. for migrants who desired to travel there. The Biden administration was critical of Wednesday’s first drop-off. CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus stated that Texas was moving migrants while not “adequately cooperating” with the federal government on Thursday.