Sheriff’s deputy: Streets near Tornillo POE cleared, 21 vehicles towed

The thousands of vehicles clogging the streets near the Tornillo Port of Entry while awaiting exportation to Mexico have been cleared, a sheriff’s office deputy said Monday.

The County of El Paso recently installed “no parking” signs and ordered the sheriff’s office to tow vehicles left unattended for more than 48 hours.

New regulations in Mexico are limiting the amount of used or junked cars that can be imported into the country on a daily basis. This led to so-called “loteros” – Mexican used car salesmen – parking thousands of vehicles along roads leading up to the port of entry.

“As of Sunday, we had zero cars parked out there. So we have towed a total of 21 as of Saturday. We were able to locate drivers, owners of everything else,” said Lt. Ryan Urrutia, a sheriff’s deputy.

Urrutia told commissioners court Monday there is no longer a need for sheriff’s deputies to keep a vigilant eye on the area. Earlier this month, the sheriff’s office estimated it was spending $7,500 – $8,000 a week on extra manpower in the area. Between six and eight deputies were on duty throughout the day at the height of the issue.

Tornillo homeowners and farmers complained the thousands of cars lining their streets were spilling oil and creating unsafe driving conditions in their neighborhood. Others said the loteros were leaving behind trash, defecating on private property, and fighting among themselves.