Federal officials are moving to strictly limit travel across the U.S.-Mexico border as the coronavirus pandemic spreads while keeping trade between the two nations flowing.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is talking with Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard to enact “travel restrictions that balance protecting our citizens from further transmission of [COVID-19].”
“Together, we can reduce public health risks and prioritize essential cross-border commerce and trade,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter.
#Mexico Foreign Secretary @m_ebrard and I have been working closely on travel restrictions that balance protecting our citizens from further transmission of #COVID19. Together, we can reduce public health risks and prioritize essential cross-border commerce and trade.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 20, 2020
President Trump on Wednesday said the U.S. and Canada agreed to close their border for all nonessential travel, underscoring on Twitter that “trade will not be affected.”
“We’re looking at both our northern and our southern border,” acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told reporters at the White House. “We want to make sure that cargo continues, trade continues, heath care workers continue to be able to traverse that border. But tourism, some recreational activities and other things needs to stop during this crisis.”
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials briefed business leaders Thursday on plans to prohibit non-essential travel with Mexico, similar to a measure announced earlier this week on the Canadian border, said Paola Avila, chair of the Border Trade Alliance, a business group,” the Associated Press reported.
The measure would effectively close the U.S. to all tourist and recreational visits along the Mexican border, said Avila, who participated in a conference call with CBP officials.
U.S. officials provided a long list of “essential” workers that would be unaffected going to and from their jobs, including farmworkers, restaurant and grocery store employees and bus drivers, said Avila. Mexico was preparing similar restrictions on visitors from the United States.
Under a Trump administration plan, asylum-seekers and other migrants at the northern and southern borders will be turned away, The New York Times reported.
The Daily Mail reported that “hundreds of cars lined up to cross into the United States at the Mexico-US on Thursday after officials announced the possibility of restrictions on travel in a bid to curb the coronavirus.”
“Bumper-to-bumper traffic was seen at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego, California,” the outlet reports. “Tijuana’s mayor Arturo González Cruz has urged residents in recent says to restrict their visits to the United States to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Mexico has reported its first death from coronavirus, a 41-year-old diabetic Mexican man whose symptoms began last week, the health ministry said late on Wednesday. No other details were immediately available.”
Mexico has a remarkably low number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 — just 164, with only one death. In the U.S., there are 14,250 cases and more than 200 deaths.
Some in Mexico have taunted Trump.
“There are more coronavirus patients in the USA than in Mexico. I will assume that the wall is to protect Mexicans!” one woman wrote in Spanish on Twitter.
Hay más pacientes de coronavirus en USA que en México. Asumiré que el muro es para proteger a los mexicanos!
— malvarad (@malvarad00) March 10, 2020
“As there are more cases of coronavirus in the USA than in @mexico Mexicans should build the wall and pay for it @realDonaldTrump,” wrote another.
Como hay más casos de coronavirus en USA que en @mexico los mexicanos deberían construir el muro y que lo pague @realDonaldTrump
— GerardoGRamos💪 (@GerardoGRamos) March 12, 2020
“At this rate the wall is done by Mexico due to the number of positive cases of coronavirus in the USA,” another tweeted.
A este ritmo el muro lo hace Mexico por la cantidad de casos positivos de coronavirus en Usa
— quino (@joako_92) March 12, 2020