Texas Governor Greg Abbott says the Department of Public Safety will go back to its random inspections of commercial vehicles crossing the border into Texas at the Laredo-Colombia bridge. He had ordered the stepped-up inspections earlier this month as part of his effort to boost security at the border.
Shipping companies and some Texas politicians had complained about lengthy delays at border checkpoints because of the new policy. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said that 20,000 trucks were backed up at the Laredo checkpoint, leading to spoiled produce. The Governor of Nuevo Leon said that border crossings that normally took 10 to 20 minutes had escalated to 5 to 6 hours.
The Governor acknowledged those delays when he announced he was dropping the policy.
"Border bridges have become clogged because of a policy by Texas to thoroughly inspect vehicles coming from Mexico," he said during a news conference in Laredo.
Gov. Abbott said he had reached an agreement with the Governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, Gov. Samuel Alejandro García Sepúlveda, for increased security efforts.
"Since Nuevo Leon has increased security on its side of the border, the Texas Department of Public Safety can return to its previous practice of random searches of vehicles crossing the bridge from Nuevo Leon."
Gov. Abbott said about 25% of the vehicles inspected by the DPS since he ordered the more stringent procedures had some type of problem. He also wants to work with the Texas Secretary of State and the Governors of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Chihuahua on agreements similar to the Memorandum of Understanding reached with the state of Nuevo Leon.
"If Nuevo Leon can ensure security and patrol the border...and Texas can help us with more merchandise and more commerce, we will do it," said Gov. Garcia Sepulveda. "Nuevo Leon is first place in everything - in employment, in taxes, we are the motor engine of Mexico. We are also first place in foreign investment. That's why we're willing to make an effort to patrol the kilometers we have with Texas to be an example for other states in Mexico."