Status of the U.S.–Mexico Commercial Border Crossing Process

Abstract

The commercial border crossing process is an important element of the international transportation and supply-chain systems that influence greatly the national and international economies. Numerous research and analyses have identified issues and problems pertaining to the U.S.–Mexico commercial border crossing. The objective of this paper is to identify issues and problems that relate to the commercial border crossing process along the U.S.–Mexico border and to analyze, classify, and note the status of each issue. A brief description of the northbound commercial border crossing, the recently implemented security programs at the border, and the status of opening the border to Mexican trucks provide a background that facilitates the understanding of current conditions at commercial ports of entry. From the vast list of information on commercial border crossings, this paper presents a selection of reports and classifies issues and notes the status or change in the situation of each issue. Even though progress has been made in the past decade to improve the commercial border crossing process, information and data, interagency coordination, and binational cooperation are issues that still require attention and solution.