Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras Mayors Meet with CBP Port Director to Discuss International Trade Issues and Possible Lifting of Border Non-Essential Travel Restrictions
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2021
Eagle Pass Port of Entry Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Director Paul Del Rincon hosted a meeting of Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico Mayor Claudio Bres Garza on Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at CBP’s office located at the Eagle Pass International Bridge No. 2 in Eagle Pass, Texas to discuss salient international trade issues and the potential lifting of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada border non-essential travel restrictions.
The meeting on May 26, 2021 was the first between newly-elected Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas with his cohort, Mayor Claudio Bres Garza of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, since being elected.
CBP Port Director Paul Del Rincon hosted the meeting to provide an update on the status of important international trade issues as well as the potential lifting of the U.S.-Mexico border non-essential travel restrictions.
United States Vice-President Kamala Harris is scheduled to personally meet with Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on June 8, 2021 to discuss international trade issues, migration, security, COVID-19 collaboration, the border non-essential travel restrictions, and other issues of interest between the two countries.
Expectations are that during or shortly after the meeting between Vice-President Harris and President Lopez Obrador on June 8, the United States and Mexico will announce certain agreements of collaboration and work between the two nations. One of the potential announcements might be when the U.S.-Mexico border non-essential travel restrictions will be lifted.
Del Rincon briefed Mayors Salinas and Bres Garza on the opening of commercial truck traffic on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Eagle Pass International Bridge No. 2 effective in June 2021 in order to expedite international trade between the two countries as well as the opening of two SENTRI lanes.
Mayor Salinas briefed Mayor Bres Garza and Del Rincon on the status of the $8 Million improvement project at the Eagle Pass International Bridge System.
Mayor Garza Bres updated Salinas and Del Rincon on the recent visit of Mexico’s Secretaries of Defense and Hacienda to Piedras Negras, Coahuila and International Bridge No. 2 on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 and the expansion of the Mexican Customs Offices and five lanes of International Bridge No. 2.
Both Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Coahuila are committed to increasing international trade through the Eagle Pass Port of Entry by financing significant improvements to infrastructure at International Bridge No. 2.
The goal of Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Coahuila is to attract greater international trade traffic through the Eagle Pass Port of Entry as well as create new jobs and economic activities in both cities.
