CIUDAD JUAREZ – Long delays at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing for goods destined for American plants and consumers are hitting the U.S. auto industry, and the gridlock reduced by half the number of northbound trucks that crossed the entry point last week.
Washington’s decision to move some 750 agents from commercial to immigration duties to handle a surge in families seeking asylum in the United States has triggered the delays at crucial ports on a border that handle US$1.7 billion in daily trade.
“The situation in Ciudad Juarez is very serious because these auto parts go to plants in the United States and obviously they put at risk the operation in the United States,” stressed Eduardo Solis, president of Asociación Mexicana de la Industria Automotriz (AMIA).
The North American auto industry is highly integrated and many car parts cross the border several times before they are finally installed on a vehicle.
Source: CBC