Border wait times for commercial trucks at El Paso ports of entry surged after Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered enhanced state inspections of northbound trucks from Mexico crossing into the U.S. during the week of April 4. The Texas Department of Public Safety was ordered to inspect commercial vehicles that crossed the U.S. border after clearing U.S. Customs. The extra inspections created a bottleneck, and truck drivers began reporting wait times between four and 12 hours at Texas ports of entry. This sparked a domino effect of disruptions to manufacturing supply chains that hit U.S. factories, consumers, and the Texas economy.
Many businesses turned to Santa Teresa Port of Entry as an option for faster and unimpeded border crossings. U.S. Customs expanded its processing capabilities at Santa Teresa by opening commercial lanes on Saturdays and extending hours of operation during the week to accommodate the traffic detouring through New Mexico. The Santa Teresa Port of Entry has been breaking truck crossing records every year for the past several years, as more companies are taking advantage of the port’s average crossing time of 30 minutes. Jerry Pacheco, President and CEO of the Santa Teresa-based Border Industrial Association, said “The trucking crisis caused by Texas’ secondary cargo inspections proved Santa Teresa can be a strategic reliever route for the region’s multibillion-dollar manufacturing community.”
Recently, the Santa Teresa Port of Entry received $500,000 for a feasibility study aimed at redesigning and modernizing the port to handle increased use in the future. New Mexico’s congressional delegation is currently working to secure port infrastructure funding. To learn more contact us here!
Back in March 2022 Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham highlighted $64 million in infrastructure investments in the vicinity known as the Borderplex including the Santa Teresa Port of Entry and borders of Doña Ana County, El Paso, and Ciudad Juárez.
“By investing in key infrastructure in the Borderplex, we are creating new jobs and generating additional revenue for the region and the state,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
The lion’s share — $40 million —will be spent on a road directly connecting Santa Teresa’s port of entry and nearby industrial park with the city of Sunland Park.
The Doña Ana County International Jetport will receive $20 million for expanded facilities allowing it to handle heavier cargo in keeping with goods manufactured in the region, and an elevated water storage tank will be added to existing water systems in Santa Teresa for $4.4 million to add capacity for more economic development.
The highway and jetport projects were funded in the 2023 state budget, while the water tank is among the capital outlay projects enacted for the coming fiscal year.
A study by New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center and Center for Border Economic Development measured the economic impacts of employment and construction in the industrial park and port of entry at $1.1 billion in total output and 5,849 jobs in 2020.
The study found that approximately 80 percent of the economic benefit went to New Mexico, including $26 million in state taxes.
