Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he will keep truck inspections at the U.S.-Mexico border despite the gridlock it has created.
Driving the news: Abbott has ordered commercial trucks from Mexico to complete extra inspection as a way to strike back at immigration policies by President Joe Biden’s administration, per ABC News.
- The inspections have caused gridlock at the border.
- Traffic has been bumper-to-bumper at the border due to the inspections.
What he said: “I understand the concerns that businesses have trying to move product across the border,” Abbott said Wednesday, per ABC News. “But I also know well the frustration of my fellow Texans and my fellow Americans caused by the Biden administration not securing our border.”
The other side: The White House bashed Abbott’s policy because federal agencies were locked up in the traffic jam, according to Fox News.
What they said: “These actions are impacting people’s jobs and the livelihoods of hard-working families in Texas and across the country,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
- “It’s not a political statement. That’s a statement of fact. I’d also note that what we’re seeing with these unnecessary inspections of trucks, transport, transiting ports of entry between Texas and Mexico are significant delays, which are resulting in a drop in commercial traffic of up to 60 to 70 percent in some ports.”
What to watch: Abbott said he would relax these inspections for trucks coming in from Nuevo León, Mexico, because the governor of that region said he would add harsher restrictions, according to The Washington Post.