During Monday morning, the Ministry of Economy reported that the state of Texas is implementing the retention of cargo transportation, justifying it as a measure to prevent illegal crossings of people and drugs.

 

The Ministry indicated that thorough inspections are being conducted at the border connecting Matamoros and Brownsville, causing a delay of approximately 27 hours in the crossing of goods. This situation is detrimental to both exporters and importers.

 

These measures taken by the state of Texas are similar to those implemented in 2022, when the governor of the state, Greg Abbott, justified the retentions in the search for drugs and to prevent illegal border crossings. However, by the end of the year, it was reported that no findings were made.

 

The Ministry stated that this measure will affect both countries since the majority of exported products are perishable food items, causing American citizens to be affected by this measure.

 

Furthermore, they mentioned that they will bring this situation to the Free Trade Agreement's facilitation committee to ensure that the treaty's provisions regarding fast and honest customs and border inspections are respected.