The Mexican government denounced this Monday that renewed inspections of Texas trucks at the Brownsville-Matamoros crossing have delayed cargo shipments crossing the border for up to 27 hours.
Mexico’s economy ministry has asked Texas to halt the intensified inspections, which began on May 8, and said Mexico would raise the issue at the Trade Facilitation Committee of the US-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement.
The controversy echoes a similar move by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022 that caused massive traffic jams at the border. Abbott has claimed that such inspections are meant to prevent migrant and drug trafficking, but inspectors in 2022 reported finding nothing, although they did see some security issues.
Mexico’s position is that drugs and migrant smuggling matter to the federal police, not the states.
Abbott has often sought to gain publicity with high-profile anti-immigration measures.
“The enforcement of these inspections is causing millions in losses for both Mexican and American companies,” the economy ministry said in a statement, adding that the delays “mainly affect perishable products.”
The United States is a major importer of Mexican agricultural products.
“Ultimately, American consumers will pay the cost of these policies,” the department said.
The department said it would take the matter to the Trade Facilitation Committee “in the coming days”. The USMCA requires member countries to provide clear, prompt and honest customs and border inspections.
In 2022, Abbott repealed the intensified inspections after a week of backlash and fears of deep economic damage. Abbott dropped the oversight entirely after reaching an agreement with neighboring Mexican states that he said outlined new commitments to border security.
