U.S. and Mexican Officials Celebrate the Inauguration of the Port of Entry and International Bridge in Tornillo, Texas

Press Release

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson today joined Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to inaugurate the Tornillo-Guadalupe Port of Entry and International Bridge in Tornillo, Texas. The port of entry will replace the Fabens-Caseta Port of Entry completed in 1938 and will connect Tornillo, Texas and Guadalupe, Mexico.

Officials from both governments participated in today's inauguration ceremony, including U.S. General Services Administration Southern Border Executive Charlie Hart, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha, Mexican Secretary of Finance and Public Credit Luis Videgaray Caso, Secretary of Communications and Transport Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz Massieu, and Mexican Tax Administration Service Chief Aristóteles Núñez.

The Tornillo-Guadalupe project, which broke ground in July 2011, is designed to enhance international trade, improve environmental conditions, and alleviate congestion in the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez metropolitan area. The project will increase capacity and lanes on the bridge and at the port of entry and introduce commercial traffic, in addition to pedestrian and personally-owned vehicles, to cross between the United States and Mexico.

"More than 3,000 trucks cross the Rio Grande every day, carrying Made-in-America products to customers in Ciudad Juarez and transforming El Paso into a North American commercial hub. The new international bridge and port of entry facilities will increase capacity, open a new path to Mexican customers, provide relief to the long lines and congestion often experienced in this region, and make our border more secure," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. "The Tornillo -- Guadalupe crossing serves as physical proof of what our governments can achieve when we execute a coordinated strategy that is developed in partnership with our private sectors."

"The completion of the Tornillo-Guadalupe Port of Entry and International Bridge demonstrates our shared commitment to promoting the economic growth and prosperity of both of our countries," said U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Johnson. "Cross-border trade remains a critical part of our bilateral relationship and we will continue to collaborate with our Mexican counterparts to build the necessary infrastructure to facilitate lawful trade along our southwest border."

Source