Editor’s note: This story was updated after rail border crossings resumed operations.
The railroad bridge crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, reopened Friday at 2 p.m. ET, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection shut the gateways earlier this week.
In an emailed statement, Union Pacific expressed relief at the reopening, saying: "We will restore normal operations as quickly as possible as we work through the five-day backlog of shipments holding to cross the border."
Union Pacific and BNSF railroads had urged federal officials to reopen the vital rail bridge crossings at Eagle Pass, Texas, and El Paso, Texas, after the agency shut the gateway due to heightened immigration activity.
A week before Christmas, the two railroads stressed the need to reopen the crossings to allow for the seamless movement of goods. The corridors represent 45% of cross-border Union Pacific business and include goods critical to the U.S. economy, the railroad said in a statement, adding “there isn’t enough capacity at our other four gateways to reroute them.”
For each day the border is closed, Union Pacific said it is forced to embargo customers’ goods on more than 60 trains, or nearly 4,500 rail cars. The railroad added it is doing what it can to stage trains and work with customers to prevent congestion at the border.
“The longer this closure is in effect, the more difficult it will be for cross-border trade to resume,” the railroad said in a statement.
BNSF is working with customers to meet their needs and prevent further congestion stemming from the crossing closures, the railroad said in an emailed statement to Supply Chain Dive.
“We are in regular communication with CBP and other federal agencies urging both crossings be re-opened immediately,” BNSF said. “Every day of closure increases the impact to the supply chain for critical commodities, including automobiles, industrial products and grain.”
U.S. Customs announced Sunday it would temporarily suspend operations at the international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas at 6 a.m. EST Monday, following a resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains. The agency, in cooperation with Mexican authorities, is assisting the U.S. Border Patrol in taking migrants into custody.
“We continue to adjust our operational plans to maximize enforcement efforts against those noncitizens who do not use lawful pathways or processes such as CBP One and those without a legal basis to remain in the United States,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. The agency did not say when the Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas border crossings would reopen.
Customs officials have made several operational adjustments to respond to heightened border crossing activity in recent weeks, including closing vehicle and pedestrian crossings.
Vehicle processing was suspended on Nov. 27 at Eagle Pass and at Eagle Pass International Bridge 1, according to customs officials. The Cal San Ysidro’s Pedestrian West crossing in San Diego, California, closed on Dec. 9 and the Lukeville Port of Entry in Lukeville, Arizona, closed on Dec. 4.
