Last friday U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar held a meeting at Texas A&M International University to discuss a surge in asylum seekers at the southwest border.
At the meeting many business leaders urged them to help get U.S. – Mexico international bridges re opened to nonessential travel, and argued that such visitors could be tested for COVID 19 as they enter the United States.
“The business community believes it is very important to have folks from Mexico be here, spending money. There are also many folks that are business people that need to be here who are not considered, quote, unquote, essential. I would appreciate your support to move that forward. It has a huge impact on Laredo and the other border communities.”said Cliffe Killam, chairman of Laredo Chamber of Commerce and a partner of Killam Development, Ltd to Cornyn and Cuellar.
“If we can work with processing the people on the border, for asylum purposes, and humanitarian purposes, we also need to help the communities open up in terms of the non-essential crosses,” said Henry Sauvignet, vice president of International Bank of Commerce.
“As Governor Abbott is now confident Texas no longer needs statewide mandates on face masks, distancing and restaurant capacities to deter the spread of COVID, it is clearly time to reopen our bridges,” Ron Whitlock, a veteran broadcaster, said.
Business leaders say Abbott’s proclamation of “100 percent open business” is not the case for those along the border.
