Southern Border Operations, Trade Flow Remain Normal, CBP Official Says

Commercial operations and trade flows across the eight Texas ports under the Laredo Field Office remain normal despite the COVID-19 epidemic, a CBP official said during a March 17 call with industry. The hours of operation at the ports haven't changed and cargo operations remain fully staffed for most import and export processing, said Armando Taboada, who oversees trade operations at the field office. CBP has no plans close any of the locations, he said.

CBP will also be continuing to provide service for agriculture specialists and other government agencies, the official said. Based on initial ACE data, Northbound truck traffic through the ports is progressing at normal levels, he said. “The trade needs to continue to move Northbound and Southbound,” he said. While CBP isn't checking the health of commercial truck drivers, it is asking the carriers to tell sick drivers not to show up, he said.

CBP's port officials are in contact with counterparts in Mexico and have business resumption contingency plans in place “in case something does occur,” he said. Similar to the response in a natural disaster, CBP will remain in constant contact with industry, he said. More calls with industry are planned on a weekly basis and could be increased as needed, he said. The agency will continue to enforce the law and issue penalties, but CBP will continue to “work with” the trade, he said. CBP supervisors will also be reviewing the penalties before issuance to make sure they can be substantiated, he said.

The Centers of Excellence and Expertise are relying more on telework, another CBP official said on the call. “That doesn't necessarily mean that we're not there to provide the services necessary at the locations, at the ports, for the trade and the ports,” he said. The Centers will still have a presence at the Laredo ports, but it will be a “skeleton crew,” he said.

The northern border is also operating smoothly, according to Dickinson Wright's Dan Ujczo, chair of the Canada-U.S. practice group. Even though Canada has closed its border to non-citizens, he said, trucks from the U.S. are able to continue across without changing drivers. He said the trusted trader programs in the U.S. and Canada cover pandemics. “Part of the benefit of those programs were for this very situation,” Ujczo said.