Statement on El Paso Chamber of Commerce's Bridge of the Americas Report
While I appreciate the time, money and effort the Chamber has put into this study, it comes nearly two years after the robust public engagement period concluded. This period included public meetings hosted by the General Services Administration (GSA) and my office with support from the El Paso City Council and the El Paso County Commissioners Court, and participation and input from 12,000 El Pasoans.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agencies which ultimately made the decision to remove commercial traffic, made clear to the Chamber and to me that the decision is final and would not be reversed — even after the Chamber's visit with them in Washington earlier this year when they flew to D.C. to lobby against the project.
At this point, the decision is so far advanced that GSA is well into the bidding process, with the project expected to be awarded in the next several months. I have repeatedly urged the Chamber to join with those of us working to ensure our other land ports of entry are ready for the shift in traffic, and use their time, resources and support to help create the private-public partnerships necessary to create more innovative, efficient crossings.
El Paso can and should lead the nation in creating more efficient, safe and advanced cross-border commercial opportunities – clearly our economy depends on that. We can also learn from other communities and how they’ve benefited from specializing their land ports of entry, instead of fighting decisions that have already been finalized and made with El Pasoans in mind, especially those living near BOTA. My hope is that the Chamber's report inspires them to utilize their leadership to help plan for the future.
