Customs and Border Protection (CBP) El Paso Field Office officials are advising travelers of potential border processing delays in the wake of recent personnel adjustments related to the caravan.
CBP officials said a large number of officers from the El Paso, Santa Teresa, and Tornillo ports of entry are being deployed to Arizona and California to assist with the caravan, which is approaching that region.
The shifting of resources impacts all shifts, reducing CBP’s ability to maintain the All Lanes Open Initiative between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. and it is likely crossing times will increase.
“The deployment of our officers to support migrant processing and border security efforts in Arizona and California will have an impact on Customs and Border Protection’s trade and travel facilitation locally,” Hector Mancha, El Paso director of Field Operations, said. “Cross-border travelers should expect lanes to be closed and anticipate processing times to increase. We suggest reducing or consolidating your cross-border trips, and if you must cross the border, build extra time into your schedule to accommodate these expected delays.”
CBP is committed to its overall national security mission, which includes ensuring the safety and security of the traveling public, both documented and undocumented, as well as law enforcement officers and border communities.