U.S. Reopens Texas Border Railroad Crossings Amid Migrant Surge

The move follows a five-day closure that disrupted trade, with ongoing negotiations between U.S. and Mexican officials to enforce immigration rules at the shared border.

Railroad crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, have been reopened by the federal government after a five-day closure that disrupted trade and caused outrage. The closures were a response to an increase in migrants traveling on freight trains, with authorities reporting 'unprecedented' arrivals at the border, exceeding 10,000 crossings on some days this month.
The closures affected two of the six available rail border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico, causing an estimated $200 million in daily losses across affected industries. Despite the reopening, vehicular traffic remains suspended at one of the two international bridges in Eagle Pass, and other ports of entry in San Diego, Lukeville, Arizona, and Nogales, Arizona, remain closed.
Stakeholders, including the American Railroads and the Nebraska Farm Bureau, expressed disapproval over the federal government's decision to close the crossings, calling for long-term solutions and more resources to secure the nation’s southern border.
President Joe Biden spoke with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, agreeing that additional border enforcement was needed so the crossings can be reopened. López Obrador stated that he is willing to help reduce the number of migrants accessing the U.S. through Mexico and called for the U.S. to open talks with Cuba and send more development aid to migrants’ home countries.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers are debating border policy changes as part of a larger conversation over U.S. assistance for Ukraine and Israel, which are top foreign policy priorities for the White House. A delegation of top U.S. officials is expected to visit Mexico soon as negotiations over how to enforce immigration rules at the two countries’ shared border continue on Capitol Hill.