WESLACO — Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday he would halt the enhanced inspection policy that wreaked havoc on commercial traffic along the U.S.-Mexico border and led to the shutdown of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge.
During a news conference in Weslaco on Friday, Abbott and Tamaulipas Gov. Francisco Javier García Cabeza de Vaca agreed to work together to secure the border. One commitment includes Tamaulipas working to contain low-water crossings, while enhanced inspections will end immediately.
Cabeza de Vaca is the latest of Mexican governors who have reached a similar agreement with Abbott. Agreements have previously been forged with the governors of the Mexican border states after Abbott announced last week that Texas Department of Public Safety troopers would inspect every commercial truck that crossed into the U.S. to curb the illegal flow of drugs and people.
Those inspections, which U.S. Customs and Border Protection called “unnecessary,” led to delays at the Pharr bridge which lasted for days. As a result, truckers in Mexico staged a protest and effectively shut down the bridge, which is one of the busiest ports of entry for goods.
Industry leaders said those delays have caused the loss of more than $100 million in trade.
