Lines of cars continue at Santa Teresa port of entry

Viewers have questions about the continuing backup of cars for export, lining the street near Santa Teresa’s crossing into Mexico.

Steve wrote to ABC-7 by email and said, “You all need to see what is happening at the (Santa Teresa) NM Port of Entry. Export car drivers lined up out the door. U. S. truck commerce at a stand still so that these junk cars can be exported to Mexico. Someone is going to get hurt or killed. You need to look into this right now.”

ABC-7 crews did look into it, and the lines are just as long as when we first checked this out several months ago.

Just west of El Paso, the port of entry has seen lines of cars building up nightly during the week for months. Exporters wait to take vehicles into Mexico one by one during the three hours the crossing is open for that kind of traffic during the day.

Our crews went to see firsthand the line of sometimes new and often used and damaged cars that stretches for miles, the line starting at 6:30 a.m. every weekday morning.

Due to the time constraint and limit of one car per crossing, Mexican officials said at most 400 will make it through during the three-hour window they’re allowed through.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said their policies haven’t changed on this side, and law enforcement agencies like the Dona Ana Sheriff’s Department are doing extra patrols to try and keep accidents from happening.

“Really, the only thing we can do is monitor and keep an eye on it,” said Kelly Jameson, spokesperson for the Dona Ana Sheriff’s Department. “And hopefully, keep those vehicles off the road as much as possible to prevent anything from happening.”

The Sheriff’s Department is working with New Mexico State Police to keep the line and traffic moving. Deputies also coordinate with Motor Transportation Police to tow any vehicles left or abandoned on the side of the road.