Facing criticism from Republican lawmakers, railroad companies and ag producers, the federal government on Friday reopened the railroad crossings with Mexico that it had temporarily shut down this week to focus on processing migrants.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency had shut down international railroad crossing bridges in El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, on Dec. 18, saying it was necessary to redirect employees to help border patrol agents take migrants into custody.
Customs and Border Protection announced Friday that normal operations would resume at the crossings.
In a statement, the agency said it would continue to use “all available resources to ensure the safety and security of our agents and officers and the migrants who are often misled and victimized by transnational criminal organizations.â€
The agency said it would continue to assess security situations, adjust its operational plans and deploy resources “to maximize enforcement efforts against those noncitizens who do not use lawful pathways or processes such as CBP One and those without a legal basis to remain in the United States.â€
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said he was informed of the changes Friday in a personal phone call with Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
“I am grateful Secretary Mayorkas took the time to hear Nebraska’s concerns and issued a quick response, before we suffered the consequences of suspending rail operations,†Pillen said in a statement.
Union Pacific Railroad on Friday issued a statement expressing relief at the decision. The railroad had called upon the agency to reopen the entry points.
“These crossings are critical gateways for international commerce, and the closures had real-world impacts for families, businesses and our customers on both sides of the border,†the railroad said.
Every day the rail crossings were closed, Union Pacific was forced to embargo customers’ goods on more than 60 trains, or nearly 4,500 rail cars, with an equivalent amount of goods being held in Mexico, UP spokesperson Robynn Tysver said.
The crossings were closed Monday through midday Friday.
U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts had pushed the agency earlier in the week to reopen the crossings, noting the economic impact.
“This is happening because President Biden won’t do what it takes to get the border crisis under control,†Ricketts said. “The president’s own team shut down the shipment of American-made goods to process thousands of migrants illegally crossing the border.â€
Ricketts joined seven other Republican senators in a letter to Mayorkas, saying the United States faces “the worst border crisis on record.â€
Ricketts on Friday called the reopening of the two rail crossings “good news,†but he also said they never would have been closed if President Joe Biden had taken the issue of illegal border crossing more seriously.
“Joe Biden must change his policies to prevent the flood of illegal immigrants coming into our country,†Ricketts said in a statement. “Mexico also needs to do its part by enforcing its immigration laws and preventing thousands of illegal immigrants from riding Ferromex trains to our border.â€
The U.S. has been facing a flood of migrants attempting to cross the border. Millions have been caught by border agents or turned themselves in to seek asylum. After processing, some of those migrants are deported; others are allowed to enter the country after being given a future court date.
The senators, in their letter, said there have been 6.6 million encounters at the southern border since President Biden took office, not including the approximately 1.8 million “gotaways†who were detected but never apprehended. The agency reported 12,000 migrant encounters on Dec. 5, the highest total ever recorded for a single day, they wrote.
The senators said the migrant crisis “is now causing significant disruptions to our supply chain.â€
Mark McHargue, Nebraska Farm Bureau president, sent a letter to the department calling the closures “asinine†and economically harmful.
“The issues that exist at our southern border didn’t appear overnight, and it absolutely will not be fixed by adding a few employees who should remain at their posts at the Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, rail crossings,†McHargue said.
According to the group, Nebraska’s agricultural trade relationship with Mexico is crucial. Mexico is the state’s largest export partner, it said.
In 2021, 89% of the state’s corn exports — $590.4 million worth of corn — into Mexico, the bureau said. Mexico also is Nebraska’s largest soybean customer, buying more than $280 million worth of soybeans and soybean products.
“The timing could not be worse,†McHargue said of the closures, “in that many farmers sell and deliver grain from storage during the January-March time frame when prices and local basis tend to strengthen post-harvest and into the earlier part of the marketing year.â€
Photos: Migrants rush across US border in final hours before pandemic rule expires
A Texas National Guardsman stands along a stretch of razor wire as migrants try to cross into the U.S., on the banks of the Rio Grande, as seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Migrants rushed across the Mexico border Thursday in hopes of entering the U.S. in the final hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions are lifted. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Members of the Texas National Guard prepare to deploy to the Texas-Mexico border in Austin, Texas, Monday, May 8, 2023. The Title 42 policy, a federal rule that has allowed the government to strictly regulate border entries, is set to expire this week. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Eric Gay
Migrants pass through razor wire on the bank of the Rio Grande river where Texas National Guards verbally tell them not to cross, as migrants enter the U.S. to turn themselves into immigration authorities, seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire May 11. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Migrants stand on the bank of the Rio Grande river as Texas National Guards block them from behind razor wire, seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire May 11. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Venezuelan migrants take a break during their walk across the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama, in hopes of reaching the U.S., Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire Thursday, May 11. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Ivan Valencia
Migrants walk across the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama in hopes of reaching the U.S., Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire Thursday, May 11. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Ivan Valencia
Texas National Guard soldiers tie rows of barbed-wire to be installed near a gate in the border fence in El Paso, Texas, in the early hours of Thursday, May 11, 2023. Migrants rushed across the border hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions were to expire Thursday, fearing that new policies would make it far more difficult to gain entry into the United States. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Andres Leighton
A man from Colombia uses metallic fabric to keep his feet warm as he waits to apply for asylum after crossing the border from Mexico on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, near Jacumba, Calif. The Biden administration on Thursday will begin denying asylum to migrants who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through, marking a fundamental shift in immigration policy as the U.S. readies for the end of a key pandemic restriction. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Gregory Bull
A migrant from Colombia, center, gives a blanket to a father and son, also from Colombia, as the group waits to apply for asylum after crossing the border Wednesday, May 10, 2023, near Jacumba, Calif. The group have been camping just across the border for days, waiting to apply for asylum in the United States. As members of the group get to the front of the line to be escorted into vans, they hand off all warm clothing to those who might still have to camp overnight. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Gregory Bull
Migrants cross the Rio Grande river into the U.S., seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Asylum seekers have been showing up at the US-Mexico border in huge numbers in anticipation of the restriction of Title 42, that had allowed the government to quickly expel migrants to Mexico. New measures were announced Wednesday creating new legal pathways for migrants. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Migrants wait for U.S. authorities, between a barbed-wire barrier and the border fence at the US-Mexico border, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The U.S on May 11 will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through, according to a new rule released May 10. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)
Christian Chavez
Migrants wait in line adjacent to the border fence under the watch of the Border Patrol and Texas National Guard to enter into El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through, according to a new rule released Wednesday, as U.S. officials warned of difficult days ahead as a key limit on immigration is set to expire.(AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Andres Leighton
Asylum-seekers wait between the double fence on U.S. soil along the U.S.-Mexico border near Tijuana, Mexico, Monday, May 8, 2023, in San Diego. The migrants wait between the fences to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Denis Poroy
Asylum-seekers wait between the double fence on U.S. soil along the U.S.-Mexico border near Tijuana, Mexico, Monday, May 8, 2023, in San Diego. The migrants wait between the fences to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Denis Poroy
Members of the Texas National Guard prepare to deploy to the Texas-Mexico border in Austin, Texas, Monday, May 8, 2023. The Title 42 policy, a federal rule that has allowed the government to strictly regulate border entries, is set to expire this week. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Eric Gay
FILE - Migrants that were trying to evade U.S. Border Patrol agents, wait to be processed in Granjeno, Texas, early Thursday, May 4, 2023. A recent surge of migrants in the Brownsville area of the U.S.-Mexico border is highlighting immigration challenges as the U.S. prepares for the end of a policy linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants. (AP Photo/Veronica G. Cardenas, File)
Veronica G. Cardenas
Migrants from El Salvador cross the Rio Grande river to the U.S. side, from Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire May 11. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Texas National Guards stand guard on the bank of the Rio Grande river, seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire May 11. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
A couple of migrants watch as the Texas National Guard add more rows of barbed-wire around a gate in the border fence into El Paso, Texas, in the early hours of Thursday, May 11, 2023. Migrants rushed across the border hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions were to expire Thursday, fearing that new policies would make it far more difficult to gain entry into the United States. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Andres Leighton
Migrants sit under a sign marking the Panama-Colombia border during their trek across the Darien Gap, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire Thursday, May 11. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Ivan Valencia
A Venezuelan migrant buys an energy drink at a stall set up along the route of the Darien Gap, from Colombia into Panama, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire Thursday, May 11. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Ivan Valencia
Migrants gather to start the walk across the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama in hopes of reaching the U.S., at the trailhead camp in Acandi, Colombia, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire Thursday, May 11. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Ivan Valencia
Migrants arrive at a gate in the border fence after crossing from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico into El Paso, Texas, in the early hours of Thursday, May 11, 2023. Migrants rushed across the border hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions were to expire Thursday, fearing that new policies would make it far more difficult to gain entry into the United States. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
Andres Leighton
Migrants wait for U.S. authorities, between a barbed-wire barrier and the border fence at the US-Mexico border, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Asylum seekers have been showing up at the US-Mexico border in huge numbers in anticipation of the restriction of Title 42, that had allowed the government to quickly expel migrants to Mexico. New measures were announced Wednesday creating new legal pathways for migrants. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)
Christian Chavez
Wheelchair-bound Colombian migrant Mireya Payares is helped by another migrant to cross the Rio Grande river from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Payares is part of a family group of nine Colombian migrants who are traveling together from Bucaramanga, Colombia, since February 19, 2023, to reach the United States. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Migrants walk up the bank on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande river, as seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Asylum seekers have been showing up at the US-Mexico border in huge numbers in anticipation of the restriction of Title 42, that had allowed the government to quickly expel migrants to Mexico. New measures were announced Wednesday creating new legal pathways for migrants. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
A migrant crosses the Rio Grande river with a baby in a suitcase, as seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The U.S. on May 11 will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through, according to a new rule released on May 10. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Venezuelan migrant Luis Parra, third right, joins other migrants crossing the Rio Grande river, seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Parra and his niece Leidy Arriza arrived at the border after staying overnight in the Mexican city of Monterrey. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Migrants use plastic bottles as floatation devices to cross the Rio Bravo river into the United States from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The U.S. on May 11 will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through, according to a new rule released on May 10. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Texas National Guardsmen stand along a stretch of razor wire as a migrant woman carrying a child tries to cross into the U.S, on the banks of the Rio Grande, as seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Migrants rushed across the Mexico border Thursday in hopes of entering the U.S. in the final hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions are lifted. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Migrants walk toward immigration authorities to turn themselves in as they make their way past Texas National Guardsmen, on the bank of the Rio Grande, as seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Migrants rushed across the Mexico border Thursday in hopes of entering the U.S. in the final hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions are lifted. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Migrants cross the Rio Grande to the U.S. side, from Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Migrants rushed across the Mexico border Thursday in hopes of entering the U.S. in the final hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions are lifted. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
An official interviews a migrant who was deported from the United States upon his arrival on a chartered plane, at the airport in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Colombian migration authority said 209 Colombians were flown on a charted flight from the U.S.- Mexico border. (AP Photo/John Vizcaino)
John Vizcaino
Yised Marulanda cries after arriving with other Colombia migrants deported from the United States, at the airport in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Colombian migration authority said 209 Colombians were flown on a charted flight from the U.S.- Mexico border. (AP Photo/John Vizcaino)
John Vizcaino
A migrant gestures to Texas National Guards standing behind razor wire on the bank of the Rio Grande river, seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire May 11. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
A young migrant holding swimming inner tubes stands on the Mexican-side of the Rio Grande river, from where migrants swim across to the U.S. side, in Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire May 11. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Venezuelan migrants take a break during their walk across the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama, in hopes of reaching the U.S., Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Pandemic-related U.S. asylum restrictions, known as Title 42, are to expire Thursday, May 11. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Ivan Valencia
Texas National Guardsmen reinforce a stretch of razor wire as migrants try to cross into the U.S., on the banks of the Rio Grande, as seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Migrants rushed across the Mexico border Thursday in hopes of entering the U.S. in the final hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions are lifted. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
A young migrant swims across the Rio Grande river to the U.S. from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The U.S on May 11 will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through, according to a new rule released May 10. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Migrants cross the Rio Grande river into the U.S. from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The U.S on May 11 will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through , according to a new rule released May 10. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Migrants cross the Rio Bravo on an inflatable mattress into the United States from Matamoros, Mexico, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The U.S. is preparing for the Thursday, May 11th end of the Title 42 policy, linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants seeking asylum. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Migrants walk through a barbed-wire barrier into the United States after crossing the Rio Bravo from Matamoros, Mexico, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The U.S. is preparing for the Thursday, May 11th end of the Title 42 policy, linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants seeking asylum. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Migrants cross the Rio Grande river into the United States from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The U.S. is preparing for the May 11th end of the Title 42 policy, linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants seeking asylum. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)
Christian Chavez
Migrants cross a barbed-wire barrier into the United States from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The U.S. is preparing for the Thursday, May 11th end of the Title 42 policy, linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants seeking asylum. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)
Christian Chavez
Migrants line-up between a barbed-wire barrier and the border fence at the US-Mexico border, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The U.S. is preparing for the Thursday, May 11th end of the Title 42 policy, linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants seeking asylum. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)
Christian Chavez
Migrants camp at a makeshift shelter in Reynosa, Mexico, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The U.S. is preparing for the Thursday, May 11th end of the Title 42 policy, linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants seeking asylum. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Moto taxis transport migrants to Las Tecas camp from where they will start walking across the Darien gap from Colombia to Panama in hopes of reaching the US, in Acandi, Colombia, Monday, May 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Ivan Valencia
Venezuelan migrant Rowil Espinoza, 34, carries his son Calel on the bank of the Rio Grande river, planning to cross to the U.S., from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Espinoza said he is traveling with his wife and three children. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
Texas state police finish placing barbed-wire as migrants walk up the bank of the Rio Grande river, seen from Matamoros, Mexico, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The U.S on May 11 will begin denying asylum to migrants who show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through, according to a new rule released May 10. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fernando Llano
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