CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas Congressman Vicente Gonzalez is urging Gov. Greg Abbott to rescind his recent order to enhance vehicle inspections at the entry along the southern border.
The order is part of Abbott's Operation Lonestar, which looks to address the issue of migrants illegally crossing into the U.S.
Last week, 3News spoke to State Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa about how Abbott's new safety checks at international border crossings have traffic backed up for seven-to-eight miles.
"I checked with DPS, I verified with customs officials, I've had a conversation with congressman Henry Cuellar," Hinojosa said. "So we have a real bottleneck and a real serious problem on the border."
According to a press release from Gonzalez's office, Abbott's order has halted trade and traffic and created 10 to 20-hour delays at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Truckers recently blocked the international bridge to protest Abbott's new order and trade was effectively shut down between the two nations.
Gonzalez added that the inspections are not making sure that "Texas' economy thrives".
"Increasing inspections will only exacerbate our supply chain crisis and raise prices for Texas families,” Gonzalez said. “This action is nothing more than a political stunt at the detriment of my constituents and does nothing to secure our border. If Gov. Abbott is serious about finding solutions, then I invite him to work with my colleagues and me to find ways to safely, and humanely, protect our border.”
The Texas Tribune contributed to this story.
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