Key Texas rail gateways reopen, railroads ready to restore service

After five days of closures at Eagle Pass and El Paso, TX, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today that the agency would reopen these key international crossings. With each passing day, rail customers, communities and the larger supply chain experienced increasing impacts as rail shipments remained halted at the border. Today, the Biden Administration answered wide-spread, resounding calls to restore this critical link in the supply chain.

“The Biden Administration made the right decision to protect our supply chain and keep goods moving between the U.S. and Mexico,” said AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies. “In the face of the unprecedented humanitarian crisis, CBP has been working under exceptionally difficult circumstances, but these ill-advised closures were a blunt force tool that did nothing to bolster law enforcement capacity. As CBP continues their work to address this crisis, railroads strongly encourage the agency to abandon this tactic moving forward in favor of approaches that are capable of meaningfully enhancing its response capabilities.

“With the crossings reopened, railroads are focused on closely partnering with CBP to maintain the secure, reliable service that customers deserve and our nation requires.”