Border crossingBorder bottlenecks hamper trade
Last year, U.S. exports to Mexico totaled $163 billion, and imports from Mexico totaled $229.6 billion; nearly 80 percent of that trade crosses through land border ports on trucks and railcars; the 1.8-million strong Border Trade Alliance says bottlenecks at border crossings hamper this trade and make it more costly to grow it; the Alliance urges Congress and the Obama administration to invest in border ports of entry, including hiring more staff; Obama’s proposed 2011 budget includes only 300 new Customs and Border Protection officers, while Republicans propose shrinking the Border Patrol by 870 agents
In an effort to alleviate traffic bottlenecks and delays on the U.S.-Mexico border, Border Trade Alliance officials last Tuesday urged Congress and the Obama administration to invest in border ports of entry, including hiring more staff.
In his $3.7 trillion budget unveiled this week, President Barack Obama proposed adding 300 Customs and Border Protection officers. “That’s not enough,” said Nelson Balido of San Antonio, president of the 1.8-million member alliance.
“We are opening new ports of entry, but we are not addressing personnel,” Balido said. “If you don’t have the staff, you are robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
MySA reports that Alliance members met with lawmakers from Texas, Arizona, and California last week to urge congressional investment in border infrastructure and personnel at a time when Washington is focused on spending cuts. The United States is Mexico’s largest trading partner, and Mexico is the third-largest source of imports behind Canada and China, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.
Last year, U.S. exports to Mexico totaled $163 billion, and imports from Mexico totaled $229.6 billion, according to the Foreign Trade Division of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Nearly 80 percent of that trade crosses through land border ports on trucks and railcars.
Heavy vehicle traffic at ports of entry in Southwest states, including El Paso and Laredo, can create bottlenecks, with two-hour delays not uncommon, Balido said.
Delays crossing the border at Otay Mesa in California, for example, have created the need to build a new crossing there. The lack of federal funds, however, has that state considering tolls or fees to finance construction, and fees could result in fewer crossings or less trade, Balido said.
“When fees go up, you’re going to take a hit,” Balido said. But he conceded the “days of fully funded ports of entry are over.”
Still, officials said, the responsibility to staff those ports rests with the federal government — and an additional 5,000 Customs and Border Protection officers are needed to fully operate border ports of entry, alleviating long lines and expediting trade across the border.
Alliance members said they support legislation to establish recruitment and retention incentives to strengthen the force. Currently, there are 21,186 Customs and Border Protection officers and 21,370 Border Patrol agents under the Department of Homeland Security.
The $57 billion proposed budget for DHS in fiscal 2010, which begins 31 October, includes only 300 new Customs and Border Protection officers.
Budget priorities include technological systems and boosting Coast Guard enforcement of maritime borders with six fast-response cutters and forty response boats.
Finding additional money for more personnel and infrastructure improvements along the border could be difficult during a time of austerity, Balido concedes.
“The fight we have is to try to convince Congress that the border is not an isolated issue that is isolated to border states,” he said.
For example, barriers to trade along the U.S.-Mexico border, he said, could affect the hog market in Iowa. Indeed, twenty-two states, including Iowa, list Mexico as their top trading partner, according to U.S. State Department statistics.
