Chairman Troy E. Nehls Asks CBP for Plans to Prevent Future Closures of Eagle Pass Freight Rail Gateway
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Chairman Troy Nehls (R-TX) sent a letter to U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Troy Miller requesting information about the September 19, 2023, closure of the Eagle Pass rail gateway in Eagle Pass, Texas, and plans to prevent any future closures and subsequent supply chain disruptions. The rail gateway serves as a critical artery for freight traffic and the efficient operations of our Nation’s supply chain, and in this instance, suffered the continued consequences of the chaos caused by the Biden Administration’s failure to secure the southern border.
“I recognize and appreciate the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency’s incredibly challenging work, as CBP agents confront the worst migrant and humanitarian crisis at the Southern border in the agency’s history," said Chairman Nehls. "Unsurprisingly, the consequences of the border crisis continue to spread far beyond the border towns, and beyond constituting solely an illegal immigration issue. In particular, the crisis now directly impacts the Nation’s flow of goods and commerce via freight rail. While the Eagle Pass rail gateway closed on September 19, 2023, I commend CBP for working diligently to quickly reopen this important supply chain artery at midnight on September 23, 2023. I want to stress the importance of balancing the essential goal of protecting our border from illegal crossings while maintaining the freight supply chain across the border, to the greatest extent possible."
The Eagle Pass rail gateway serves two Class I U.S.-based freight railroads, ranks as the second busiest rail passage on the Texas/Mexico border, and moved more than 6.2 million tons of freight from August 2022 through July 2023. In the letter, Chairman Nehls requested that CBP provide a briefing on the status of the rail gateway and plans to keep it open, including in the event of future migrant surges. He also asked that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee be provided with advance notice of any future plans to close the rail gateway.