NOGALES, AZ — Nogales-area business leaders say updates are needed for one of the state’s largest ports of entry to both grow Arizona’s vibrant trade industries with Mexico and further crack down on smuggling.
The two ports in Nogales funnel millions of people through and handle nearly $30 billion in trade each year.
“We are the gateway, not only for international trade, but for tourism as well,” fruits and vegetables distributor Jaime Chamberlain said.
The Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority reported increased traffic for trade and tourism this year along Arizona’s southern border ports.
“We have noticed the lines getting longer recently at our port of entry,” Chairman Joshua Rubin said. “Which isn’t necessarily due to a slowdown in CBP processing. It’s due to an increase in vehicles and personnel crossing the port of entries right now.”
Nogales’s DeConcini Port of Entry hasn’t had any major upgrades for three decades.
According to the Port Authority, its location right on the international line poses a risk to current officers.
“It is not good for the safety of our officers that are there. So we need to push that port of entry back,” Chamberlain said.
Top business leaders also said, in addition to recent upgrades to the Mariposa Port of Entry, it’s critical to increase capacity at DeConcini to meet the needs of growing trade with Mexico.
“Without them, the legal trade, the legal tourism, the investment, and the efforts to protect the homeland are really jeopardized,” international business advisor Luis Ramirez said.
The potential upgrades are also aimed at updating technology to stop the flow of drugs into the country and firearms out of the country.
Right now, a feasibility study is being done to determine what could be changed at the port.
The Port Authority expects upgrades to get underway in around five years.
However, even if those goals are met, local and federal leaders say staffing will need to be addressed to make things run efficiently.
“CBP having to use overtime to be able to process things for us isn’t necessarily always the right answer,” Rubin said.
Republican congressman Juan Ciscomani echoed that sentiment when ABC15 asked lawmakers about their support of port upgrades.
“If we can improve the technology there and we can have as many lanes as we want, but if we don’t have the staffing to actually be on those lanes, then it’s all for nothing as well. So, this needs some real investment,” Ciscomani said.
Democratic Representative Greg Stanton said he, too, supports port upgrades along Arizona’s southern border, however, Mexico will have to help on their end.
“We need the Mexican government to support infrastructure on their side of the border,” Stanton said.