As U.S. Customs and Border Protection prepares to close out the fiscal year, the federal agency is saying there will be increases in border wait times through Sept. 30.
According to a statement from CBP, the increases is border wait times is due to necessary operational adjustments to close out the fiscal year, especially at its busiest port of entry locations.
Pedestrians crossing in the pedestrian lanes Tuesday at the B&M International Bridge in Brownsville reported waiting more than an hour to cross from Mexico into the United State.
One pedestrian said this has been happening for the last three weeks. “There are instances lately that the bridge is clearly open as gates are open and we go through, but it (the line) won’t move at all for almost half an hour,” the pedestrian wrote in a message to The Brownsville Herald. “We’ve been standing in line before the sun even rises, just to get across by 8, sometimes 9 in the morning.”
CBP said” as international travel began to resume and trade increased due to consumer demand, OFO (Office of Field Operations) increased efforts in the commercial environment – including mail and express consignment and maritime locations – to mitigate effects on the supply chain, which was already strained.”
“CBP also experienced increased expenditures to cover COVID-related staffing shortages, ensuring minimal impact to operations. These early efforts, along with a continued focus on national security and enforcement, has led to a limited budget for the end of the fiscal year. This limited budget will result in the shifting of resources to balance operations amongst OFO’s vast, unpredictable, and dynamic mission set,” the statement read.
At 11 a.m. Tuesday, the pedestrian wait time was an hour and a half at the Brownsville & Matamoros International Bridge in Brownsville. There were delays – at the same time -at the Gateway International Bridge or Veterans International Bridge.
It is a different story in reference to passenger vehicle wait times at the B&M bridge with a wait time of about 180 minutes or three hours with only one lane open.
The wait time at Gateway International was about 30 minutes with one lane open, and a 60-minute wait time at Veterans International Bridge. There were not wait times reported at the Free Trade Bridge in Los Indios.
Wait times at the international bridges can be found at: https://bwt.cbp.gov/ViewAllPorts.html?com=1&pas=1&ped=1&plist=5355
