Cuellar: Reopening of bridges means border communities can have a great Christmas

LAREDO, Texas - U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar is predicting a great Christmas for border communities now that land ports of entry are being re-opened to tens of thousands of Mexican visa holders. Mexican nationals who do not work in so-called “essential” industries have been prevented from crossing via land ports into the United States since March 20 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, however, the international bridges between the U.S. and Mexico and the U.S. and Canada will be open to “non-essential” travelers from Nov. 8, provided they can prove they have been fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization. This decision was announced by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas last week.“Whether it is downtown Laredo or downtown in any part of the border, this basically means that they will get their shoppers back. Which means this will be a very good Christmas,” Cuellar said.Cuellar, D-Laredo, made his remarks in a webinar he hosted immediately following DHS’s reopening the bridges announcement.“First of all, I got a call from the White House last night. I got a call from the secretary of homeland security, Mayorkas, early this morning. I have a call with the acting commissioner, Troy Miller, about some of the details. But I can tell you the details are being worked out right now,” Cuellar said in his introduction to the webinar.Troy Miller is the acting commissioner for Customs and Border Protection. Cuellar said there are two aspects to the DHS decision or reopening the bridges. The first impacts so-called non-essential travelers from Mexico.“If they have proof of the (Covid-19) vaccine they will be able to come into the United States. That means tourism, family members can see their family members or come shop. That will open up,” Cuellar said.The second aspect of the new ruling kicks in in January, Cuellar said. “Anybody coming in to the U.S., any foreigner, which means, of course, Canadians, but for us, Mexicans, essential and non-essential, will have to show proof of (Covid-19) vaccines,” Cuellar said. Cuellar said the DHS decision is a huge boost for border communities.“What does this mean for us? It means (good news) on two fronts, economics and family. Before the pandemic we were getting 18 million Mexicans that would come in and spend $19 billion.”Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service website. Editor's Note: The attached podcast includes comments made during the webinar by Congressman Henry Cuellar, Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz, Rio Grande City public relations specialist Angelina Villarreal, and Starr-Camargo International Bridge owner Sam Vale. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.