Non-essential travel will continue to remain partially restricted at ports of entry at Canadian and Mexican borders, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In a tweet Sunday, DHS announced the continuation of the temporary travel restrictions for Canada and Mexico.
The announcement, not surprising as the order has been extended four times since March, came after President Trump put the restriction in place due to COVID-19.
The order limits travel for the U.S.-Mexico southern border — currently closed off to “non-essential” travelers.
As of July 20, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the U.S. surpassed 3,750,000 million positive COVID-19 cases and surpassed 140,000 deaths related to the pandemic.
In Texas, officials have reported more than 325,000 positive cases, and nearly 4,000 deaths, the CDC reported.
Essential travel includes, but is not limited to, the following: U.S. citizens or permanent residents returning to the country, people traveling for medical purposes in the case of receiving treatment in the U.S., people traveling to attend educational institutions, and those returning to the U.S. in the agriculture and farming industries.
Additionally, anyone traveling as part of an emergency response team, government officials, emergency responders, and those who work in cross-border trade, such as truck drivers moving cargo between the U.S. and Mexico can continue to travel.
This initiative will end at midnight Aug. 20, according to the DHS website.
Non-essential travel is considered to be tourism, or recreational in nature. Examples include sightseeing, gambling or attending a cultural event.
In conjunction with the March order, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said the ports of entry would still allow entry of “legitimate documented travelers” not subject to previously announced restrictions.
CBP officials stated at the time that they may “limit the number of open vehicle primary lanes to maintain operational control of all travelers seeking entry to the United States,” the release from CBP stated.
Those travelers who do not meet the above description would be returned to Mexico.
