By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF

Disgruntled Mexican truck drivers used their vehicles Tuesday, April 12, to block southbound movements by U.S. carriers at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in Tamaulipas following a move by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to increase safety inspections at state border ports.

Abbott’s decision to increase the inspections came in response to U.S. President Joe Biden’s plans to end pandemic-related restrictions along the border and are, according to the governor’s office, intended to “curtail the flow of drugs, human traffickers, illegal immigrants, weapons and other contraband into Texas.”

But according to private sector estimates, the slowdown in traffic resulting from both Abbott’s new regulations and the protest by Mexican truckers is costing cross-border exporters an estimated $8 million, mainly affecting the in-bond maquiladora, automotive, technology and perishables industries.