U.S-Mexico border

Bill aims to speed cross-border freight, intercept illegal drugs

WASHINGTON — New legislation aimed at catching drug smugglers at the border will also speed truck and container inspections into and out of the U.S., according to lawmakers.

The Contraband Awareness Technology Catches Harmful (CATCH) Fentanyl Act, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday by Reps. Clay Higgins, R-La., and Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection to create a pilot program using “next-generation technology,” including potentially...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/bill-aims-to-speed-cross-border-freight-intercept-illegal-drugs

FreightWaves Classics/Infrastructure: I-35 serves the American heartland

I-35 was widened in Norman, Oklahoma in 2014. (Photo: Oklahoma Department of Transportation)

Interstate 35 (I-35) serves the central United States. As with most interstate highways that end in a “5,” it is a major cross-country, north-south route. I-35 runs from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border to Duluth, Minnesota, near the Canadian border.

I-35 was designated by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO; now AASHTO) on August 14, 1957, as an original interstate highway from Laredo north to Duluth.

A map of Interstate 35. (Image: I35highway.com)A map of Interstate 35. (Image: I35highway.com)

With a length...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-infrastructure-i-35-serves-the-american-heartland

FreightWaves Classics: U.S. Customs and Border Protection has key freight responsibilities

Trucks wait in line to be inspected and cross the border. (Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, numerous changes were made at federal agencies. For example, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was founded on November 25, 2002. Among the agencies that are part of DHS is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP. 

CBP became the first comprehensive border security agency in the U.S. on March 1, 2003. The agency’s focus is to maintain the integrity of the nation’s boundaries and ports of entry.

Before the creation of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-us-customs-and-border-protection-has-key-freight-responsibilities

FreightWaves Classics: Otay Mesa Land Port is third-busiest on U.S.-Mexico border

Trucks approach the U.S. entrance to the Otay Mesa LPOE. (Photo: FreightWaves)

According to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), “A Land Port Of Entry [LPOE] is a facility that provides controlled entry into or departure from the United States for persons or materials.” Each LPOE “houses the U.S. Customs and Border Protection [CBP], and other federal inspection agencies responsible for the enforcement of federal laws pertaining to such activities.”

On the CBP website it states, “U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a complex mission at ports of entry with...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-otay-mesa-land-port-is-third-busiest-on-us-mexico-border

FreightWaves Classics: The Port of Laredo is #1 inland port in U.S.

Port Laredo finished fourth overall during 2020 among the nation’s 450 international gateways for trade. (Photo: FreightWaves staff)

In Chapter 1 of this series on America’s ports, the Port of Boston was featured. The Port of Boston is the oldest seaport in the United States. To read that article, please follow this link. 

In Chapter 2, a different type of port will be profiled. 

U.S.-Mexico border in Texas

The Texas-Mexico border runs for 1,254 miles and is the longest border of any state with the nation of Mexico. According to the Office of the Texas Comptroller, ports of entry within Texas accounted for nearly $740 billion...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/freightwaves-classics:-the-port-of-laredo-is-#1-inland-port-in-us

October truck crossings rise 5% at Port Laredo

The World Trade and Colombia Solidarity bridges in Laredo, Texas, saw 10,426 more commercial truck crossings in October compared with October 2019, according to the city of Laredo.

Commercial truck crossings totaled 220,260 vehicles in October, compared with 209,834 during the same period last year, a 5% increase. 

It was the second straight month that international truck crossings rose at the United States-Mexico border port of entry in Laredo. Cross-border truck crossings saw a 7.7%...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/october-truck-crossings-rise-5-at-port-laredo

Freight trains remain mode of transport for illegal entry to US

A photograph of a rail worker climbing a Union Pacific train.

In this year’s best-selling novel “American Dirt,” men, women and children risk injury or death to climb aboard moving freight trains in an attempt to illegally cross into the United States.

U.S. railroads say real-life cases of smuggling or trespassing on freight rail networks near the U.S.-Mexico border continue.

Last Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) notified Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) that a group of individuals was attempting to climb a moving train, with some individuals...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/freight-trains-remain-mode-of-transport-for-illegal-entry-to-us

US border closures with Mexico, Canada extended through Sept. 21

Trucks lined up for inspection at the U.S.-Mexico border at the Port of Laredo. The U.S. land borders with Mexico and Canada will remain closed for non-essential travel through Sept. 21.

The closures of the U.S. land borders with Mexico and Canada for non-essential travel have been extended another month to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The land borders will remain closed through September 21, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf announced in a tweet on Friday morning.

The U.S. land borders have been closed to non-essential travel since March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Trucks have continued to move freight relatively freely across the Mexican and Canadian...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/us-border-closures-with-mexico-canada-extended-through-sept-21

+ More