Texas GOP official calls Abbott's policy 'economy killing action' as protests over delays continue

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s stunt forcing commercial trucks to undergo unnecessary secondary inspections at ports of entry is turning into an economic and political disaster: a 60% drop in commercial traffic, continued protests by outraged Mexican truckers, and now condemnation from a fellow right-wing state official.

The Texas Tribune reports Texas Agriculture Commissioner and similarly terrible Republican Sid Miller labeled Abbott’s policy—which was launched in retaliation for the Biden administration’s just decision to end use of Stephen Miller’s white supremacist policy stomping on U.S. asylum law—“political theater.”

The report said the official told Abbott in a letter that his stunt “is not stopping illegal immigration,” but instead “stopping food from getting to grocery store shelves and in many cases causing food to rot in trucks—many of which are owned by Texas and other American companies.” Miller called Abbott’s stunt an “economy killing action.”

RELATED STORY: Abbott’s increased truck inspections in response to Biden admin leading to huge delays, rotting food

Abbott’s stunt was similarly slammed in a lengthy statement from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which called the Texas Department of Public Safety’s checks of commercial vehicles after they’ve already been checked by U.S. border officials “additional and unnecessary,” and have led “to traffic disruptions and critical impacts to an already-strained supply chain.”

“Local trade associations, officials, and businesses are requesting the Texas state government discontinue their additional border truck inspection process because it is not necessary to protect the safety and security of Texas communities and is resulting in significant impacts to local supply chains that will impact consumers and businesses nationally.”

Mexico’s government similarly slammed the policy, “estimating that two-thirds of normal trade was being held up and costing ‘significant revenue’ for both U.S. and Mexican businesses,” Reuters reported. As noted earlier this week, Mexican truckers frustrated over delays to their work and livelihood blocked bridge traffic in protest of Abbott’s shenanigans. These protests have continued,  Reuters said.

“Traffic at a fourth bridge connecting Reynosa to Pharr, Texas, was also halted on Tuesday by drivers who parked their trucks and began barbecuing on the Mexican side of the port of entry, according to photos sent to Reuters.” Trucker Raymundo Galicia told Reuters that it took him 17 hours to cross the border and back because of Abbott. “I get paid the same whether it takes me an hour or ten hours to cross, so this is affecting us a lot,” he said.

The Texas Tribune said that at least $60 million in goods and services go across the Pharr Bridge every single day. In terms of Mexican produce going to the U.S., it’s “the busiest land crossing.” Abbott’s stunt is set to raise food prices and make getting certain produce impossible, hurting families in Texas.

But as when he was confronted about the human costs of his Operation Lone Star scheme, he’ll likely just complaint about the president. Oh wait—Caller Times reports an Abbott spokesperson was already doing that. Mark Miner “sought to pin the blame on Biden,” the report said.

“It’s going to be very bad for the Texas economy. It’s going to be very bad for the national economy,” Abbott’s Democratic challenger for governor, Beto O’Rourke, told Caller Times. “When you see those trucks lined up miles deep all the way into Mexico, what you’re seeing is inflation, what you’re seeing is higher prices at the grocery store, and what you’re seeing are more supply chain problems. We are calling on Greg Abbott to end this policy today.”

Pointing to the agriculture commissioner’s statements, Rep. Veronica Escobar tweeted that “even Republicans agree” that Abbott’s unnecessary secondary checks “will have catastrophic consequences for families at the grocery store and businesses working to keep their doors open. It’s time for the Governor to put an end to his harmful directives.”

RELATED STORIES: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott peddles horrific plan to kidnap immigrants, then backtracks

Escobar says Abbott’s plan to get asylum-seekers out of Texas is more ‘politics of hate and cruelty’

Texas refuses to be transparent about Operation Lone Star. Probably because it’s all a scheme