Truckers Punish TX Gov By Blockading Border Crossings

The Texas Tribune reports:

Commercial traffic at a key South Texas border crossing has stopped after Mexican truckers on Monday blocked north- and southbound lanes on the Mexico side of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in protest of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to have state troopers inspect northbound commercial vehicles — historically a job done by the federal government.

The bridge connecting Pharr and Reynosa is the busiest trade crossing in the Rio Grande Valley and handles the majority of the produce that crosses into the U.S. from Mexico, including avocados, broccoli, peppers, strawberries and tomatoes.

On Monday, with trucks backed up for miles in Reynosa for the fifth day in a row, some produce importers in Texas said they have waited days for their goods to arrive and already had buyers cancel orders.

The El Paso Times reports:



The line of trucks entering El Paso stretched for miles Tuesday morning at the Zaragoza International Bridge. Some truckers slept in their cabs while waiting. Others stood outside for fresh air. One skipped rope to pass the time.

“We are all going to stay here and support each other,” said Jaime Talamontes, a trucker from Juárez. “I respect the laws but these new inspections are impacting us too much.”

Truckers interviewed said they already face strict inspections and questioned why Texas GovGreg Abbott singled them out. Most of the truckers cross back and forth between Juárez and El Paso multiple times a day, delivering goods to warehouses where they are transferred onto long-haul trucks.