July 21, 2021 1242 PM
Dear Mr. President:
You may recall, but I sent a letter to your office in April of this year. The purpose of that letter was to express the concerns of our constituents regarding the closure of the United States-Mexico border to nonessential travelers. A few months have gone by and although the ports of entry have been kinder to importers and exporters, I believe we still need to allow more of our neighbors to come and visit our country. The economic toll that a lack of tourism and day-to-day crossings through land ports has had on the economies of border communities has only increased since my last correspondence.
As I mentioned before, I am a proud resident of a border city, and I am even more proud to represent the district with the most land bordering Mexico. When the pandemic hit and the borders were shut down to nonessential travel, our border communities were faced with a tremendously negative economic impact. Many small businesses in our communities are kept afloat by travelers and tourists who stop by on their way in and out of our cities. When these businesses could no longer afford to operate, they were forced to shut down. Since my last correspondence, the border has also been closed to people who are attempting to cross into the United States to donate plasma. In the case of Eagle Pass, the plasma donation business helps spur our local economy. Those who cross over and donate plasma are paid after their donation, and then they often spend their money at the shops within the area.
I have compiled updated data from the Eagle Pass Port of Entry, which outlines the economics.
Attached to this letter you will find the difference in toll revenue from 2019 and 2020 to 2020 and 2021. You will find that Eagle Pass has seen a loss of over 2 million dollars in toll revenue for noncommercial and pedestrian traffic. These numbers do not even begin to depict the additional losses to our small business communities.
According to the Office of the Texas Governor, the travel and tourism industry is one of the most important drivers of the Texas economy, generating an estimated $80.2 billion in 2018 direct travel spending, resulting in $164 billion of economic impact. The value of travel to and within Texas affects every Texan citizen. Without travel, each Texas household would pay an additional $740 in state and local taxes to make up for the revenue loss. Along with the many Texans travelling within the state, Texas welcomed an estimated 72.5 million out-of-state visitors in May of 2018 (pre-pandemic).
Aside from a handicapped border economy, our relationships with our sister cities across the border have continued to be strained. As a representative and resident of these communities, I understand how crucial these relationships are with our sister cities. Border economies cannot sustain themselves without the help of nonessential travelers who contribute to our economies by way of purchasing our goods.
It is imperative that we reopen our international land ports of entry on the southern border to nonessential travelers from Mexico in order for these economies to rebound. As vaccination rates have steadily increased, it is time now to focus on rebuilding. I also urge you to support the donation of vaccines to the states of Coahuila and Chihuahua. We need to give our border communities a chance to rebuild their economies and their relationships for the good of their residents and the nation.
Sincerely,
State Representative Eddie Morales Jr.
City of Eagle Pass International Bridge System Total Non-Commercial & Pedestrian Revenue Comparison 2019-2021
2019-2020 2020-2021 Difference Percentage
April $757,980.00 $327,563.00 -$430,417 .00 -57%
May $844,549.00 $418,499.00 -$426,050.00 -50%
June $860,530.00 $474,078.00 -$386,452.00 -45%
July $864,423.00 $472,204.00 -$392,219.00 -45%
August $868,838.00 $491,321.00 -$377,517.00 -43%
September* $790,218.00 $604,064.00 -$186,154.00 -24%
October* $819,356.00 $751,551.00 -$67,805.00 -8%
November* $851,094.00 $714,755.00 -$136,339.00 -16%
December* $962,625.00 $869,213.00 -$93,412.00 -10%
January* $791,852.00 $698,783.00 -$93,069.00 -12%
February* $810,176.00 $635,018.00 -$175,158.00 -22%
March* $677,093.00 $777,599.00 $100,506.00 15%
Grand Total $9,898,734.00 $7,234,648.00 -$2,664,086.00 -27%
*Toll was adjusted +$1.50 non-commercial and +$.50 pedestrians in 2020, March 2021 -$1.00 Non-Commercial
City of Eagle Pass International Bridge System Non-Commercial Vehicle Traffic Comparison 2019-2021
2019-2020 2020-2021 Difference Percentage
April 213,004 95,659 -117,345 -55%
May 240,222 120,445 -119,777 -50%
June 246,097 137,097 -109,000 -44%
July 246,649 136,422 -110,227 -45%
August 248,233 130,415 -117,818 -47%
September 225,992 114,677 -111,315 -49%
October 234,561 144,390 -90,171 -38%
November 242,953 136,324 -106,629 -44%
December 272,508 166,390 -106,118 -39%
January 226,833 134,360 -92,473 -41%
February 233,023 123,182 -109,841 -47%
March 194,327 165,270 -29,057 -15%
Grand Total 2,824,402 1,604,631 -1,219,771 -43%
City of Eagle Pass International Bridge System
Pedestrian Traffic Comparison 2019-2021
2019-2020 2020-2021 Difference Percentage
April 67,388 17,293 -50,095 -74%
May 58,523 28,958 -29,565 -51%
June 46,484 28,426 -18,058 -39%
July 49,566 28,364 -21,202 -43%
August 49,984 25,663 -24,321 -49%
September 49,689 31,136 -18,553 -37%
October 51,800 30,405 -21,395 -41%
November 53,128 32,043 -21,085 -40%
December 63,655 34,136 -29,519 -46%
January 51,486 29,042 -22,444 -44%
February 46,204 21,345 -24,859 -54%
March 41,797 37,439 -4,358 -10%
Grand Total 629,704 344,250 -285,454 -45%
