The U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced today that it will reopen the Eagle Pass and El Paso rail crossings into Mexico. The announcement pleased leaders at the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), who cautioned the agency against making similar decisions in the future.
“This is certainly a welcome relief,” said NCGA President Harold Wolle. “We are very appreciative that CBP was responsive to our calls to have the border crossings re-opened, but we hope this experience serves as a cautionary tale moving forward. Rail is a key mode of transportation for our exports into Mexico, so closing rail crossings can have devastating ramifications for farmers and the economy.”
The two rail crossings along the Texas border towns were closed on December 18 by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection as part of an effort to prevent migrants from entering the country illegally. Twenty-five percent of U.S. corn exports into Mexico go through El Paso and Eagle Pass.
On Thursday, the National Corn Growers Association joined other national ag groups in sending a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling for him to quickly reopen the rail crossings.
The crossings will be fully operational by 2 p.m. (EDT) today.