Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani is leading a bipartisan push to expedite a review of the proposed project to modernize the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, which millions of people cross each year.
In a letter, cosigned by Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton and Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh, the lawmakers urged the Department of Homeland Security to accelerate a pending environmental review of the project. Congress funded a feasibility study for the port modernization in 2022.
The busy land crossing in downtown Nogales is often affected by flooding and sewer overflows during monsoon storms. The lawmakers say the port modernization project would protect Customs and Border Protection employees from hazardous conditions.
They say the project would also create space for more technology to detect illegal narcotics smuggling.
“Modernizing the DeConcini LPOE is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen border security, enhance lawful trade and travel, and improve working conditions for frontline personnel,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “This is not a Nogales project, this is a national asset in desperate need of investment.”
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Cattle from Mexico have been barred from the United States for most the past year to prevent the parasite from entering. Ranchers in Sonora say this method was a mistake. -
Mexico’s foreign secretary says 14,000 Mexican nationals remain in immigration detention in the United States as Mexico pursues consular and legal action. -
The move comes after a nearly yearlong ban of Mexican cattle into the United States to protect against the New World screwworm parasite. -
The San Luis port of entry from Sonora, Mexico, is Arizona’s westernmost border crossing, and could see delays for four to five months starting later this month. -
No cases of the flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite have been reported in Arizona, but USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in the state has recommendations for ranchers to protect against it.
