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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stops secondary inspections at border after striking deals with 4 Mexican governors
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Friday he had ended his policy of having state troopers conduct secondary inspections of trucks crossing from Mexico into Texas, The Washington Post reported.
The policy, enacted on April 6, backed up truck traffic at the border and led to a protest by Mexican truckers that halted trade at some major border crossings.
It also subjected Abbott, who is running for a third term, to criticism from U.S. and Mexican businesses, Mexican state and federal governments, the White House, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Democratic opponent Beto O'Rourke, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller (R), and many others.
Not everyone in Texas turned against Abbott, however. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said his strategy was "genius" and would "create pressure on Mexico and some of their governors."
On Thursday, Abbott began rolling back the inspection rules after striking deals with the governors of three of the four Mexican states that border Texas: Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo León. Abbott suspended secondary inspections at border crossings in those states after the governors agreed to have Mexican police conduct inspections on their side of the border. Abbott said on Thursday that secondary inspections would continue in the fourth Mexican border state, Tamaulipas, according to The Texas Tribune.
After meeting with Tamaulipas Governor Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca on Friday, Abbott announced that Texas state troopers were no longer conducting additional inspections at any border crossings, though he added that "if we do see increased [illegal] trafficking across the border we will strategically shut down certain bridges," per the Post.