CBP Works to Keep Traffic Moving During Holiday Travel Season; New Lanes, CBP Officer, Border Patrol Agent Staffing To Facilitate Flow
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Dec 17, 2012, 0 Comments
Courtesy Richard Pauza,
LAREDO,TX – In anticipation of the annual spike in cross-border traffic over the Christmas/New Year’s holiday season, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials in Laredo are taking steps to adjust staffing, including supplementing with Border Patrol agent staffing, and employing additional facilitation measures to address the increased flows.
CBP will place as many CBP officers and Border Patrol agents as possible in areas where they will be able to process traffic as quickly as possible during peak traffic periods. CBP also encourages travelers to consider other nearby crossings to help facilitate their travel. CBP will closely monitor traffic and keep lanes open as the traffic dictates.
The addition of three new primary lanes at Lincoln-Juarez Bridge, increasing the bridge’s capacity from 12 to 15 northbound lanes, is expected to help facilitate the seasonal increase in traffic.
In addition, the Laredo Port of Entry on an as-needed basis may employ other facilitation measures, including the opening of three additional lanes in the former import lot below Lincoln-Juarez Bridge and continuing to process tourist permits beyond midnight at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge.
“We are truly blessed this holiday season to have three new primary lanes at Lincoln-Juarez Bridge coupled with additional CBP officers and now Border Patrol agent staffing resources to help process the spike in traffic while maintaining a robust border security posture,” said Eugenio Garza Jr., CBP Director, Field Operations, Laredo Field Office.
“We are pleased to be able to augment the staffing at the Laredo Port of Entry during this especially busy travel period by assigning additional Border Patrol agents at the international bridges,” said John C. Esquivel, Acting Chief Patrol Agent, U.S. Border Patrol, Laredo Sector. “By combining Field Operations and Border Patrol resources we create a unity of effort and a force multiplier effect that helps facilitate lawful trade and travel while keeping the border safe.”
The traveling public is urged to obtain radiofrequency identification (RFID) enabled documents such as U.S. passport cards or newer version of the border crossing card so that they may be able to use the Ready Lanes. In addition, the traveling public may tune in to AM 1610 for some helpful border crossing information or check the wait times by logging on to the following link: http://apps.cbp.gov/bwt/
