Billions at Stake as Trump’s Diversion of Border Resources Puts the Squeeze on Business

PHARR, Texas - Luis A. Bazan looks at his port of entry nestled up against the Mexican city of Reynosa and sees a maze of 18-wheelers mostly stuck, waiting and waiting before creeping along the highway that links north and south at a snail’s pace.Many are filled with perishable produce. Where he once saw opportunity, Bazan now sees trouble.Pharr, a small city of about 80,000 people, usually thrives on its border crossing -- fresh Mexican produce -- many kinds of peppers, including jalapenos -- mangos, avocados and more are bound for the north, including Dallas grocery stores. The crossing here handles more produce than anywhere else along the U.S.-Mexico border.But that record trade has come to a slow crawl, hit hard by the loss of at least 60 of its customs officials who have been diverted to other duties by the Trump administration.“What are we doing?” said Bazan, 44, the port director of the privately-owned international bridge. “At the end of the day, if we don’t have enough CBP agents, we’re screwed. Opportunity is staring right at us and we’re focused on slowing down, not increasing, trade. Again, what exactly are we doing?”Bazan is referring to the reassignment of more than 730 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from international bridges to help deal with the flow of mostly Central Americn migrants.The Trump administration says it’s a crisis: More than 100,000 migrants crossed the border in April, with many voluntarily turning themselves in to authorities to seek asylum. It was the biggest monthly apprehension total since 2007.Bazan and other business leaders and economists say the reassignment of customs workers and the slowdowns when crossing the border are now taking their toll on business. One study says wait times at international crossings are almost a third longer and billions of dollars in trade is at stake.  Continue reading...