CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott recent order to enhance vehicle inspections at the entry along the southern border has impacted supply deliveries and backed up traffic.
One truck after another was being forced to turnaround at the international bridge in Pharr, Texas. The vehicles ended up driving to nearby truck stops to park in the hopes that the bridge might be reopened sometime soon.
According to State Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, Abbott's order doesn't contribute to the economic growth of the state.
"Why are we blocking commerce? Why are we losing millions of dollars of our economy because of the blockage? it doesn't make any progress to try to control the immigration problem we face," Hinojosa said.
The owner of the Keystone Cold Storage Warehouse in Pharr told 3News that the outside parking lot is usually full of trucks coming in and out of the facility. However, due to the recent checkpoint order, the warehouse hasn't been able to receive their regular shipment of fruits and vegetables.
The warehouse shelves are usually filled with pallets of avocados, tomatoes and other produce. Companies such as Walmart were only able to pickup a fraction of their original order. That's because all that produce is no longer coming from Mexico across this international bridge.
Nora Ramirez also owns an import business called Sunny Produce and Brokerage. She said that if the border crossing doesn't open back up in a week then she doesn't know what she and the other import and export businesses will do.
"We bring in electronics, auto parts and a lot of fresh produce from Mexico," Ramirez said. "Many of my colleagues are now rerouting their produce to Nogales Arizona where they can trade and do business like adults."
With this international crossing still closed, along with a number of others along our border Ramirez and other business owners are not only losing money, but they fear their businesses could go under as well.
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