STATE REPRESENTATIVE JENIFER JONES REQUESTS CONGRESSMAN VASQUEZ'S HELP IN OBTAINING MORE STAFF AT COLUMBUS, NEW MEXICO BORDER CROSSING

Letter at end

DEMING, NM — State Representative Jenifer Jones (R-Deming) today requested Congressman Gabe Vasquez's (D-NM-2) assistance in obtaining additional federal funding for more staff at the Columbus, New Mexico border crossing.   This additional funding and staff are needed to allow the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to expand the number of hours of operation to process commercial traffic at this southern border site.   Currently, the Columbus border crossing is open 24 hours per day, but the processing of commercial traffic is only provided from 8 am – 5 pm every day.  The request for additional funding for new staff would permit CBP to extend the processing of commercial traffic by three hours per day. 

State Representative Jones said, "There is a serious need to expand by three additional hours per day the processing of commercial traffic at the Columbus border crossing.  Today, CPB only has sufficient staff to process trucks and other commercial vehicles crossing the border for only 9 hours per day.   Yet, with the current volume of commercial traffic, ending the processing of commercial vehicles at 5 pm causes major traffic bottlenecks at the border and forces long delays and additional costs in moving needed commerce and trade across the border."

"The Columbus port of entry has undergone significant modernization and upgrades over the past several years, and this investment has helped expand economic development in southern New Mexico.  The next step is to enhance these benefits by having more staff at the border to further improve the flow of beneficial international trade," stated Rep. Jones.

"I look forward to working with the Congressman on this important issue and to ensure the Columbus border crossing has the needed resources to maximize its economic development potential for southern New Mexico," concluded Rep. Jones. 

During a recent meeting with Mexican port officials, Rep. Jones learned that Mexico has already made significant investment in commercial port infrastructure, including being well staffed for increased hours of operation.