Texas Border Business
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to develop a plan to resume non-essential travel between land ports of entry. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas estimates that 30 to 40 percent of border cities’, such as McAllen, Texas, retail activity can be attributed to Mexican Nationals.
In the letter, the Congressman writes: “As we enter the fifteenth full month of restrictions and vaccines become widely available on both sides of the border, it is critical that DHS develop a plan to resume non-essential travel at land ports of entry and communicate this plan to local stakeholders in border communities.”
The Congressman also requested additional details surrounding the Administration’s decision to keep the border closed to non-essential travel until June 21, 2021. Below is the list of requests:
- Provide details on any cost-benefit analysis DHS has done when deciding to extend existing travel restrictions or impose new restrictions along the southwest border.
- Provide the data used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to specifically determine peak “non-essential” travel days and times at ports of entry.
- Develop and publicly articulate a detailed plan, including benchmarks that must be reached, for land ports of entry along the southwest border to return to normal
operations.
- In consultation with local stakeholders—both “essential” and “non-essential”—develop a strategy to effectively communicate any changes to DHS travel restrictions to these groups.
Congressman Gonzalez added: “I am glad to see the Biden administration ramp up its vaccine diplomacy efforts and I urge continued commitment to support our partners in the developing world that may not have the technological or financial means to produce and distribute this lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine at scale. The faster we get shots in the arms of people around the world, the sooner we can return to normalcy. I look forward to working with the Biden administration to re-open our borders to non-essential travel and engaging partner countries in vaccine distribution.”
The full letter can be found here.
