Mexican FA Minister Accuses Texas Governor Abbott of Extortion Over Border Inspections

No drugs, weapons, or contraband were recovered last month by Texas state troopers ordered to inspect every commercial truck from Mexico, according to data released by the state’s Department of Public Safety. Over the course of eight days, 850 trucks were taken off the road for equipment-related violations.

Mexico Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard is accusing Texas Governor Greg Abbott of extortion related to the backlogs caused by commercial truck inspections that took place last month at several ports of entry between Mexico and the US.

“It is an extortion,” Ebrard declared during a visit to the Mexican border province of Nuevo Leon.

“I close the border and you have to sign what I say–that is not an agreement,” he said, speaking of Abbott’s decision to order state inspections of every commercial truck entering the US from Mexico.

“An agreement is that you and I agree on something, and the problem of migration is not from Mexico, it is the decisions that the United States must make,” he added.

Abbott claimed his unpopular order was applied to stop the flow of illegal drugs and migrants being smuggled into the US from Mexico’s four border states.

Abbott’s order was followed by the formation of separate agreements on border security between his government and those of Nuevo Leone, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas.

“Border governors can achieve results when we work together and put the safety of our constituents first,” Abbott wrote in an April 15 news release.

Texas’ Department of Public Safety claims Texas state troopers did not find any drugs or migrants in commercial trucks over the 8-day period because cartels “don’t like troopers stopping them, certainly north of the border, and they certainly don’t like 100% inspections of commercial vehicles on the bridges.”

“And once that started we’ve seen a decreased amount of trafficking across bridges,” said DPS Director Steve McCraw.

Adam Isacson, director for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, told the Texas Tribune that Texas troopers would not likely find illegal drugs via commercial vehicles, as lorries at the state inspection had already passed by federal immigration officials.

“It just seems odd to me that DPS would be that much of a deterrent for smugglers deciding whether to bring something after already passing through the gauntlet of [US Customs and Border Protection],” Isacson told the outlet.

However, the smuggling of illegal drugs via international bridges would continue, he said, noting that smugglers tend to stow drugs in the vehicle’s smaller compartments or spare tires.