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Gov. Greg Abbott’s talks tough at the border during a 2021 news conference touting his immigration crackdown.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to paint himself as both pro-business and as an immigration hardliner ahead of this year’s election appear to be on a collision course.
The two-term Republican has slowed commercial border crossings to a crawl over the past six days by having state troopers inspect northbound haulers — a job historically handled by the federal government. Now, shippers are warning that the his unprecedented move is threatening Texas’ ability to compete.
“Warehouses have staff sitting idle, with no trucks to unload,” Dante Galeazzi, president of the Texas International Produce Association, told CBS News. “Buyers in other parts of the country cannot understand why their product is not available. U.S. trucking companies are losing money as they sit around for days with no loads to haul.”
Galeazzi added that a one trucking company is refusing to send trucks south of San Antonio because officials worry there will be no cargo available.
“This is destroying our business and the reputation of Texas,” he told CBS. “I foresee companies making plans to move their business to New Mexico and Arizona.”
The backlash comes as Abbott continues to make his multi-billion-dollar border crackdown the centerpiece of his bid to win reelection this fall. He argues the state inspections, which started last week, are necessary as the Biden administration phases out Title 42, a Trump-era policy that let federal officials turn away migrants without letting them to seek asylum.
However, Beto O’Rourke, the former El Paso congressman who’s challenging Abbott in the gubernatorial race has already seized on the slowdown. During a presser on Tuesday, the Democratic contender slammed the governor’s crackdown as an “very expensive stunt.”
O’Rourke also invited businessman Joe Arevalo, owner of border warehouse firm Keystone Cold, to speak out against Abbott’s plan.
“We’re living through a nightmare, and we’re already suffering through a very delicate supply chain from the pandemic and to try to regrow the business,” Arevalo warned, according to the Austin-American Statesman.
Delays at border bridges triggered by the Abbott-ordered inspections slashed commercial traffic at the Texas-Mexico border by 60% in a matter of days, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials told the Texas Tribune. Traffic was further stymied as truckers on the Mexico side of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge blocked lanes to protest the policy.
It’s also unclear how thoroughly the state troopers are scrutinizing commercial vehicles and whether they’re even looking inside cargo areas, the Tribune reports. The troopers’ inspections are being conducted after federal authorities have already conducted extensive searches of the trucks.
What’s more, it’s unclear whether troopers have seized any drugs or detained undocumented migrants since the program got underway, the Tribune reports. The Department of Public Safety didn’t respond to the news organization’s request for comment.
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