Federal budget includes Calexico POE
ALEXICO — On Monday, the White House unveiled President Donald Trump’s proposed $4.4 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2019 which includes $276 million for the second phase of the Land Port of Entry expansion project here.
“It’s wonderful news,” said District 1 Supervisor John Renison following the announcement. “We’re not at the goal-line yet, but it’s very positive news.”
The inclusion of the Calexico port of entry is part of a proposed $10.7 billion budget request made by the General Services Administration whose request centered on investments for the country’s infrastructure and modernizing information technology to make government operations more efficient. “The investments in our nation’s physical and cyber infrastructure proposed in the President’s budget will improve our government’s security posture and empower agencies to more efficiently and effectively accomplish their critical missions,” said GSA Administrator Emily Murphy in a statement. “The proposed funding will enable GSA to continue its unique role as a mission-enabler and allow GSA’s workforce, and our colleagues throughout government, to focus on high-value work. In addition to the investments requested through the President’s budget, GSA will continue to deliver value to American taxpayers through eliminating duplication, increasing competition and creating opportunities for small businesses through its government wide acquisition and real property services.”
The funding for the second and final phase of the project was first considered in the President’s budget for 2017, but was left out by Congress in the final budget. For 2018, according to local officials, the GSA assumed the project would be funded and left it off its budget request. For 2019, the project is among the agency’s top priorities.
The congressional justification for the funding states: “The refurbishment and replacement of the LPOE facilities, which currently lack the infrastructure capacity to fulfill traffic demands and meet the latest security requirements, are critical for the federal inspection agencies as they complete their missions of securing our nation’s borders.”
Although the funding is part of the President’s proposed budget, the funding will not be official until Congress appropriates the funds when it passes a budget in the fall. Despite the federal government dropping the ball in the past, Renison said he’s very confident the funding will be allocated this year as the project is among the top GSA priorities and as phase I is set to be completed this year.
“This is not a partisan issue, there has been talks and negotiations for a long time related to border security and this is the greatest opportunity to achieve that,” he said.
Renison noted the first phase on the Mexican side is expected to be completed by the end of the year, while phase II would be a bit tricky as it will depend on the priorities of the new Mexican President which will be elected this July.
The expansion project is a priority for local officials who view it as an integral part of future economic development, bolstering security and helping reduce border wait times for pedestrians and commuters. A reduction of wait times at the border could potentially reduce the number of car emissions in the border area, which has hindered the air quality of the region for many years.
The second phase of the project would include a new pedestrian processing facility, administrative offices and add six additional northbound commuter inspection lanes, according to GSA.
Phase II construction would also include the addition of five southbound commuter inspection lanes with canopies and booths, a parking structure and the demolition of the existing main building.
Phase I of the expansion, which is nearing its completion, will add 10 new northbound inspection lanes and five new southbound inspection lanes, as well as a command center for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, which leases the property from the GSA.
The existing Calexico West Land Port of Entry was built in 1974, and currently is the third-busiest land port in California, with about 4 million northbound vehicles and 4.5 million pedestrian crossings a year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.