New migrant surge impacting Borderland businesses and industry

JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- A new migrant surge has been hitting the borderland in the last week.

With more migrants arriving in Juarez and trying to make their way to the U.S., authorities have made changes, pulling resources away from commercial traffic and redirecting them towards the migrants.

Last Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's El Paso Office of Field Operations announced they were going to temporarily suspend cargo processing at the Bridge of the Americas port of entry.

This means that cargo drivers have had to instead cross through the Ysleta, Santa Teresa, or Tornillo cargo facilities.

On Wednesday, Thor Salayandia the vice president of the Mexican Chamber of Industry, held a news conference to talk about the current crisis migration is causing for these types of businesses.

According to new data, cargo drivers saw a 50% drop in daily exports Monday and Tuesday. About $500 million in goods are stuck at the ports of entry on both sides of the border, according to officials.

Borderland business leaders think both the Mexican and the U.S. governments need to work together with migration experts to lessen the impact this surge is having on cargo transportation exports and the maquiladora industry.