U.S.-Mexico Border Non-Essential Travel Restrictions Extended to April 21, 2021
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2021
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the United States-Mexico border non-essential travel restrictions have been mutually extended by the United States and Mexico through April 21, 2021, disappointing U.S.-Mexico border cities and counties who depend on Mexican tourists and consumers for their local economies including the City of Eagle Pass, Texas.
“To prevent the further spread of COVID-19, and in coordination with our partners in Canada and Mexico, the United States is extending the restrictions on non-essential travel at our land borders through April 21, 2021, while ensuring continued flows of essential trade and travel,” said DHS via Twitter.
The non-essential travel restrictions were implemented on March 21, 2020 by the Trump Administration and have been extended monthly for the past 12 months. This Sunday, March 21, 2021, will be one year since the non-essential travel restrictions have been in effect.
The City of Eagle Pass has suffered a significant financial blow as a result of the non-essential travel restrictions since the city relies up to 40 percent of its annual fiscal budget on its international bridge revenues. Eagle Pass City Finance Director Jesus Rodriguez has previously publicly stated that the city loses between $350,000 to $500,000 per month as a result of these non-essential travel restrictions due to the loss of international bridge revenues as well as retail sales taxes and hotel occupancy room taxes.
The City of Eagle Pass had a reserve fund of over $6 million in its coffers when the non-essential travel restrictions were first implemented in March 2020. The City of Eagle Pass has had to use these reserve funds and implement other budget cost-reduction measures to offset the loss of these revenues caused by the non-essential travel restrictions.
Eagle Pass Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes has visited with U.S. Senator John Cornyn and U.S. House of Representative Tony Gonzales to express the detrimental effects these non-essential travel restrictions has caused on the financial situation of the City of Eagle Pass and request that they be lifted.
Eagle Pass officials hope that the non-essential travel restrictions will be lifted next month when the current extension expires on April 21, 2021, returning the City’s financial budget and local economy back to normal.
