Brownsville Herald - Ports of Entry May See Some Relief by 2010

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Brownsville Herald - Ports of Entry May See Some Relief by 2010

By: Kevin Sieff

Sen. John Cornyn introduced legislation to provide emergency funding to address growing delays at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday.

The Emergency Port of Entry Personnel and Infrastructure Funding Act will aid in the construction of additional inspection lanes at ports of entry in Texas. It will also authorize U.S. Customs and Border Protection to hire more inspectors to serve along the border.

"The border is not just a security concern," Cornyn said. "It's about legitimate trade and commerce that benefits both Mexico and the United States."

Although Cornyn acknowledges that the delays are particularly significant during the holiday season, he said that relief before the end of the year might be overly optimistic. The bill is currently awaiting support in the Senate.

The bill requests more than 4,000 additional CBP inspectors to be distributed along America's northern and southern borders before 2010. It also authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to construct additional ports of entry along the border.

These measures, Cornyn expects, would alleviate much of the congestion at border crossing points.

According to Matthew Howe, director of public policy at the Border Trade Alliance (BTA), a nonprofit organization that works to address key issues affecting trade and economic development in North America, added resources at ports of entry will help transnational trade continue to grow.

In recent years, members of BTA have complained that long waits at the border have hurt their businesses.

"These infrastructural changes will help to keep the U.S. competitive with the global economy," he said.

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