President Trump has announced that he will close down the Mexico/U.S. border this week, if Mexico’s government doesn’t “completely stem the flow of undocumented migrants crossing the border.” It is still unclear as to how much of the border will be closed but it is best to prepare for delays.
Also unclear is whether or not CTPAT members will be exempt, if the border does close. White House advisors are working to determine scenarios to allow freight passage with open trade lanes despite the closure of traffic lanes and immigration. These trade lanes are already experiencing delays due to the redeployment of CBP officers on the southern border.
UPDATE
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have been reassigned from some ports of entry to help with processing migrants. This is causing at least 50% of commercial lanes to close and increased wait times on commercial bridges. Further closures could disrupt more than $1.5 billion in goods.
Mohawk Global Logistics will continue to monitor border closing developments. In the interim, should you have any questions pertaining to your shipments, please reach out to your Mohawk customer service representative.