Chihuahua governor to meet with Abbott over Texas truck checks
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Chihuahua Gov. Maru Campos is in Austin, trying to convince Texas officials to roll back truck inspections that are tying up the flow of manufactured goods in the El Paso-Juarez area.
Campos on Thursday met with Texas Secretary of State John Scott to brief him on her state’s security effort and was to meet with Abbott later in the day, her office said in a statement.
The leader of Mexico’s largest northern border state talked to Texas officials about “the advances achieved in combatting crime and new initiatives being implemented to guarantee better security in (Chihuahua) and on the border,” the statement said.
Thousands of trucks attempting to cross the U.S. border at El Paso commercial ports of entry on Thursday were still experiencing delays of six to seven hours at area ports of entry.
The Mexican border state of Nuevo Leon on Wednesday avoided further Texas safety inspections by signing a memorandum of understanding with Texas, committing to improved border security.
Abbott last week ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to conduct enhanced border inspections of trucks coming across the Mexican border. Abbott is concerned about human trafficking, drug smuggling and trucks coming across from Mexico with mechanical and safety violations.
Abbott will hold a news conference Campos at 5 p.m. CST in Austin. We will live stream the event in this story.