State of Coahuila and City of Piedras Negras Host Celebration of Border Re-Opening to Non-Essential Travelers
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2021
The State of Coahuila, Mexico Governor Miguel Angel Riquelme Solis and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico Mayor Claudio Bres Garza hosted an official celebration of the re-opening of the U.S.-Mexico border to non-essential travelers on Monday, November 8, 2021, at the U.S.-Mexico international boundary marker on the City of Eagle Pass International Bridge No. 2 in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Coahuila Governor Miguel Angel Riquelme Solis and Piedras Negras Mayor Claudio Bres Garza invited Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas, Jr., Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo, Eagle Pass Port of Entry Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Director Paul Del Rincon, Texas State Representative Heriberto Morales, Jr., Eagle Pass-Maverick County Economic Development Association President Morris Libson, Jr., and Mexican Consul Ismael Naveja Macias to the re-opening of the U.S.-Mexico border to non-essential travelers ceremony on November 8.
The ceremony was titled under the theme of “Trabajando Juntos,” or “Working Together” in English.
Governor Riquelme Solis stated the re-opening of the U.S.-Mexico border to non-essential travelers after 20 months of restricting their entry due to the COVID-19 pandemic was a historic moment and normalization of international trade and commerce, social, cultural, and educational ties between the people of Mexico and the United States.
Governor Riquelme Solis added the lifting of the non-essential travel restrictions will fortify international trade between the State of Coahuila and the State of Texas, benefiting the economies of both states who are interdependent as one community.
Piedras Negras Mayor Bres Garza stated the citizens of Piedras Negras were elated that the non-essential travel restrictions had finally been lifted because it had affected many families from visiting and seeing each other as well as hurting small businesses on both sides of the border. Mayor Bres Garza added the citizens of Piedras Negras welcomed the lifting of the non-essential travel restrictions and the normalization of daily U.S.-Mexico border relations.
Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas, Jr. stated the citizens and small businesses of Eagle Pass were relieved to learn of the lifting of the non-essential travel restrictions and look forward to the re-opening of both communities’ economies and social and cultural relations. Mayor Salinas added the re-opening of the U.S.-Mexico border to non-essential travelers is a tremendous boost to the economy of Eagle Pass as local small businesses and the city itself had sustained significant losses due to the restrictions.
Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo stated the 20 months of the non-essential travel restrictions had caused the communities of Piedras Negras and Eagle Pass to collaborate on joint projects of interest like the vaccination of people and children with the COVID-19 vaccine. Judge Saucedo added the re-opening of the border provides both communities to strengthen their relationship and collaboration.
The City of Eagle Pass International Bridge System reported an immediate increase in vehicles crossing into the United States upon the re-opening of the border at midnight on November 8.
Eagle Pass Port of Entry CBP Director Paul Del Rincon stated the vehicular traffic between the two countries at Eagle Pass is anticipated to steadily increase to pre-closure levels of up to 12,000 vehicles per day. The non-essential travel restrictions decreased vehicular traffic at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry to 7-8,000 per day during the past 20 months the restrictions were in place.
