Texas halts truck inspections that caused border gridlock

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has repealed his traffic-clogging immigration order that backed up commercial trucks at the U.S.-Mexico border this week.

The Republican on Friday ended a new policy that required all commercial trucks from Mexico to undergo extra inspections to stop the flow of migrants and drugs.

The inspections led to delays, prompting wide backlash and fears of deep economic losses. Some truckers reported having to wait more than 30 hours to cross, and others blocked one of the world’s busiest trade bridges in protest.

Abbott’s decision to impose additional inspections of trucks entering Texas from Mexico was his latest move in an unprecedented foray into border security, which has long been the federal government’s domain.

The two-term governor, like many Republican Party leaders, calls illegal immigration and drug smuggling from Mexico a “crisis” and fully blames President Joe Biden.

His latest actions follow the Biden administration’s decision to end pandemic-related restrictions for those claiming asylum at the border on May 23.

Border officials stopped migrants 164,973 times in February, a daily average of nearly 5,900. They stopped migrants an average of 7,101 times a day during the week that ended March 28.

Abbott lifted the inspections after signing new border security agreements with neighboring Mexican states.