Commercial border crossings increase despite pandemic
SAN LUIS, Ariz. – The pandemic has curtailed border crossings by pedestrians and personal vehicles, but has done nothing to slow commercial traffic entering this city from Mexico, according to a consultant’s report.
In 2020, 41,153 tractor-trailers crossed from Mexico through San Luis II, a port of entry on the city’s east side that handles commercial traffic, according to consultant Luis Ramirez. That represents a nearly 12% increase over the prior year.
A total of 423,173 trucks passed from Mexico through all U.S. ports of entry on the Arizona border in 2020, also an increase from 2019, Ramirez said.
“Arizona has established a record for the total number of
trucks that crossed the border in 2020,” Ramirez said in the written report. “San Luis is close to establish new records (and) will probably do so this year if the numbers of crossing continue at this pace.”
Ramirez is president of Ramirez Advisors, which serves as an advisor to the city on border commerce and other bilateral issues.
He included his remarks in the written report recently sent to San Luis Mayor Gerardo Sanchez.
“Taking into account that because of the pandemic, commerce was severely affected from the end of March to the beginning of June, and with the gradual return to normality, these truck crossing numbers are notable for San Luis and, from what we know, likely (represent) the highest growth rate among the large ports on the entire border.”
Sanchez, presenting the report at a recent City Council meeting, said the findings reflect concerted efforts made by San Luis and counterparts in San Luis Rio Colorado to promote the San Luis II crossing as a gateway for bilateral commerce, and to promote the region as a site for new business and industry.
Meanwhile, the number of crossings by personal vehicles and pedestrians from Mexico at San Luis dropped 21 percent and 30 percent, respectively. Pedestrians and automobiles enter the country through San Luis I port of entry in downtown San Luis.
Owing to the pandemic, the U.S. government since March has barred Mexican citizens from entering the country through ports of entry on the border for all but essential reasons. The restriction has hurt small businesses in San Luis and other border cities whose customers mainly come from Mexico.
“We don’t anticipate a change in this trend until the border crossing restrictions are lifted or at least modified significantly,” Ramirez said in the report.
“Once the restrictions on border crossings are lifted, we anticipate a dramatic increase in volumes of border crossings (persons and automobiles).
“There is no doubt that there exists a substantial represssed demand on the part of Mexican vistors to return to Arizona, and we should get ready for that. This could mean very long waits at the border if the volumes increase dramatically and very rapidly.”
Since the start of the pandemic, the Mexican ports of entry have not barred entry by U.S visitors, although the hours of operation of the crossing at San Luis Rio Colorado have been cut back.