Joe Biden Shuts Down Vital Trade Route to Help Migrants Cross Border

The closure of two rail bridges that move freight between Texas and Mexico by federal authorities on Sunday has sparked criticism from rail company Union Pacific, presenting a new challenge to President Joe Biden.

The international railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso were temporarily shut down after authorities reported a surge in the smuggling of migrants through Mexico by train.

Last weekend, border officials said the bridges had been closed "in order to redirect personnel to assist the U.S. Border Patrol with taking migrants into custody." The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that the operation was being conducted in partnership with Mexican authorities. Newsweek contacted Union Pacific, CBP and the White House for comment by email on Tuesday.

It's not the first time that federal authorities resort to closing down vital bridges across the country to tackle the issue of illegal immigration. In recent weeks, CBP temporarily closed the Lukeville, Arizona, Port of Entry and a pedestrian entrance in San Diego to redirect resources elsewhere.

However, these measures are far from popular. Union Pacific, whose operation covers 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the closure of the two bridges will cause cross-border freight to stack up.

"Roughly 45% of all rail cars moving to and from Mexico cross through El Paso and Eagle Pass—there isn't enough capacity at the other four gateways to reroute them," the company wrote on social media.

Union Pacific added that the Eagle Pass and El Paso border crossings should be reopened immediately. The company said their closures is affecting "agricultural products (grain held in six Midwest states); food and beverages (beer and dry food products); automotive (finished vehicles and parts); consumer goods; industrial commodities (metals and cement)."

The company wrote that, while it understands "this is a complex humanitarian crisis, most migrants are not crossing the border on trains." Union Pacific has its own police force and technology looking for people and contraband, the company added. "Every day that the border is closed, Union Pacific is forced to embargo customers' goods on more than 60 trains, or nearly 4,500 rail cars, with an equivalent of goods being held in Mexico," the company said. "The longer this closure is in effect, the more difficult it will be for cross-border trade to resume."

The closure of the bridges represents the perfect storm for Biden ahead of the 2024 election. Voters appear critical of the way the president has been handling the U.S. economy and migration during his time in office, according to recent polling. Even Biden's fellow Democrats have been extremely critical of the decision to close bridges and ports of entry in recent weeks.

On December 15, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, said that the federal government's decision to close the Lukeville port of entry "has led to an unmitigated humanitarian crisis."

The governor, who was elected in November 2022 beating Republican candidate Kari Lake, accused the federal government of "refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep our communities safe," and ordered National Guard troops at the border with Mexico.

"With this Executive Order, I am taking action where the federal government won't," Hobbs, who had previously asked Biden to reopen the port, said in a written statement. "But we can't stand alone, Arizona needs resources and manpower to reopen the Lukeville crossing, manage the flow of migrants, and maintain a secure, orderly and humane border. Despite continued requests for assistance, the Biden administration has refused to deliver desperately needed resources to Arizona's border."

In response to the closure of the two bridges in Texas, Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas said shutting down the bridges disrupted legitimate trade and hurt communities at the border.

​​"The crisis at our border is seriously affecting legitimate trade," Cuellar wrote on X. "This year alone, vehicle and rail operations have been suspended at multiple ports of entry due to an overwhelming number of migrants, worsening delays for truck drivers transporting goods and costing our economy millions," he added.

"Our border communities desperately need more federal resources, and we need tougher measures at the border. We must secure the border now," Cuellar wrote.

Republicans have been even more critical of the decision to close the bridges, with Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas calling the "disruption of legitimate trade and travel" another casualty of what he called the Biden border crisis.