(NewsNation) — Mexico’s foreign ministry is asking Texas to “find alternatives” to newly enforced border truck inspections, but Gov. Greg Abbott says he won’t back down unless Mexico puts security measures in place to combat drug and human trafficking at the border.
Those measures already were in place at the Laredo crossing, where things were returning to normal Wednesday. Elsewhere, however, Customs and Border Protection say they’ve seen long wait times and a commercial traffic decline of 60% along the southern border.
It has taken some drivers more than 12 hours to be processed, leading to delivery delays and lost wages for truckers.
“They need to sit down and work this out in D.C. to straighten out the borders, they really do,” truck driver Jesse James said on NewsNation’s Rush Hour. “He said, she said doesn’t work anymore, they need to come down here and see what it’s actually doing to the general public.”
Still, officials are continuing to seize large amounts of drugs at the U.S.-Mexico border. Officers last month discovered a haul of more than $13 million worth of drugs.
Customs and Border Protection is blaming the longer wait times and supply chain disruptions on Texas, rather than typical screening.
The White House today also claimed the inspections will only hurt the economy.
“CBP officers are very good at their jobs,” principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “Texas DPS does not need to replace CBP at the southern border, and attempting to do so jeopardizes public safety and America’s Economic Security.”