Traffic snarls at El Paso's Zaragoza port of entry amid heightened DPS truck inspections

Adam Powell, El Paso Times
Updated ·3 min read

Traffic is once again grinding to a halt at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Texas Department of Public Safety over the weekend launched enhanced inspections on all incoming commercial traffic crossing the Tornillo and Ysleta-Zaragoza ports of entry.

While the sparsely traveled Tornillo port saw little impact from the additional inspections, wait times at the Zaragoza bridge had already ramped up to eight hours by 11 a.m. Monday, April 29, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol website.

A line of commercial trucks is seen on both sides of the Zaragoza International Bridge in El Paso, TX on April 29, 2024.
A line of commercial trucks is seen on both sides of the Zaragoza International Bridge in El Paso, TX on April 29, 2024.

At 7 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, the website showed average wait times at the Ysleta port, but those numbers had already jumped up to six hours by 10 a.m.

Border crossing wait times increase

By noon, wait times were once again around eight hours.

It's unclear what prompted DPS to take action — the department did not respond to requests for comment on the reason for the additional inspections — but the move comes only days after the arrival of a train in Ciudad Juárez carrying hundreds of migrants hoping to enter the United States in the coming days.

Hundreds of migrants arrived on train to Ciudad Juárez on April 24, 2024. The migrants said they boarded the train in the State of Mexico and used four different trains to arrive to the border city across from El Paso, Texas where they intend to cross in the next days.
Hundreds of migrants arrived on train to Ciudad Juárez on April 24, 2024. The migrants said they boarded the train in the State of Mexico and used four different trains to arrive to the border city across from El Paso, Texas where they intend to cross in the next days.

The department did, however, confirm that it is also conducting enhanced inspections at the Bridge of the Americas, but the CBP website showed wait times were apparently not impacted by the change.

Even before traffic began to snarl along the Ysleta-Zaragoza port Monday morning, the El Paso-based Border Trucking Compliance Group was sounding the alarm among state lawmakers.

"This situation is not merely a local or state issue; it is a national concern that requires immediate and thoughtful action," wrote BTCG Director of Operations Alexis Reza in the letter to lawmakers. "Reducing or ceasing these intensive inspections will not only mitigate economic losses but will also enhance our ability to conduct business efficiently and effectively. We count on your support and actions to help restore stability and prosperity to our community."

The last round of enhanced inspections from DPS led to an estimated $1.3 billion economic downturn, Reza noted, inflicting devastating pain to industries across the board, including retail, manufacturing and transportation.

"The ripple effects of these financial setbacks extend beyond our local businesses," she said, "affecting regional stability and national economic indices."

Striking a balance

While state lawmakers from El Paso have heard the outcry before and are quick to wax sympathetic when new DPS inspections delay trucks and paralyze businesses, there appears to be very little they can do to relieve the situation.

When it comes to DPS, the buck stops with Gov. Greg Abbott, whose Operation Lone Star has brought concertina wire, floating barriers, National Guard troops, DPS agents and heightened inspections to the border — often to little effect — since it was launched in 2021.

It seems that all legislators can do right now is keep their fingers on the pulse of the people impacted.

"Our office has been in close communication with DPS regarding the enhanced commercial inspections at our ports of entry at (Bridge of the Americas) and Ysleta," state Sen. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso, wrote in a text message Monday. "We will continue working at a state level to foster open lines of communication between both countries and our business community to strike a balance between security, trade and economic stability."

State Sen. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso, works at his desk in his office in Downtown El Paso on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. Blanco officially announced his Texas Senate reelection campaign in late September.
State Sen. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso, works at his desk in his office in Downtown El Paso on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. Blanco officially announced his Texas Senate reelection campaign in late September.

State Rep. Lina Ortega, meanwhile, blasted the inspections as "inefficient and ineffective."

"Enhanced vehicle inspections are an inefficient and ineffective method of reducing illegal activity at our ports of entry," Ortega, D-El Paso, wrote in an email. "These inspections hurt the economies of El Paso and the entire state of Texas. Further delays have environmental costs, too, as trucks idle for many hours waiting to cross. This is another attempt to create chaos and confusion for many in our bustling border community for the political gain of few."

The remainder of El Paso's state delegation was unavailable for comment.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso lawmakers hamstrung over new round of DPS truck inspections