Southern Arizona border slowdowns could raise prices you pay

NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — Businesses that depend on cross-border traffic say the surge of migrants there could affect what you pay for the products in your life.

Shifting Federal resources to manage migrants could affect the local economy.

At the Mariposa Port of Entry just north of the Mexico border, you can watch a bit of your economy driving back and forth across the border. As a consequence of the migrant surge there are fewer inspectors to help cargo and people move legally across the border. That can have an effect on the products you buy.

There has been such a surge of migrants crossing the border and asking for asylum that the Department of Homeland Security has diverted a share of CBP port inspectors to help Border Patrol manage the migrants.

That reduced the number of inspectors available for their usual work: the critical job of inspecting cargo and cars crossing at legal ports of entry.

Businesses that depend on fast flowing cargo say that’s led to long, costly backups for cargo trucks trying to bring products to the U.S. or to Mexico.

The delays are a serious drag on maquilas: factories in Mexico that receive parts from the U.S., assemble them into finished products and ship them back to Arizona.

Josh Rubin of Javid LLCmanages 38 of those factories. He expects delays to raise transportation costs and the purchase price for products that range from medical devices to hardware that would go in your house. He also says long lines make Mexican tourists less likely to come here to spend their money in Arizona stores.

“The U of A did a study in 2018 or 2019 that estimated that nine million dollars a day is what the Mexican nationals spend in Arizona. Those are the types of impacts we start to suffer with longer lines. People just prefer to stay and keep their money in Mexico.”

At Chamberlain Distributing, Jaime Chamberlain’s business brings in the fruits and vegetables that wind up on your table. He says delays could drive up the cost of that food. Chamberlain says supply could drop and prices could rise if farmers decide to plant less because it’s harder to get their produce to market.

“So we're going in and ramping up with our season. But we're doing this with the uncertainty if we're going to have the adequate services at the ports of entry of which we deserve as consumers and as users of our port of entry every single day. That's one of the responsibilities of our federal government.”

Chamberlain worries about broader port issues as the chair of the Greater Nogales Port Authority. He says fewer inspectors could raise drug dangers too as smugglers see a better chance to slip in their loads undetected.