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9/22/2023
BNSF Railway Co. has informed customers it's not accepting new rail shipments through Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, due to the Department of Homeland Security's decision earlier this week to close part of the U.S.-Mexico border to rail traffic as a result of a congestion of migrants wishing to enter the United States.
BNSF issued an embargo for traffic destined for interchange with Ferromex (FXE) at both the Eagle Pass and El Paso junctions, according to a customer advisory.
"Through the embargo, BNSF is not currently accepting new shipments through El Paso. However, as conditions allow, we will be moving some shipments already in route," BNSF's customer advisory states. "No permits are being issued at the present time. We will continue to keep you updated as this situation progresses."
On Tuesday, Ferromex announced it was temporarily stopping 60 freight trains due to thousands of migrants attempting to use the railroad's freight trains to travel north, the El Pais newspaper reported.
BNSF joined Union Pacific Railroad in announcing the U.S. rail embargoes. On Sept. 20, UP informed its customers of its temporary embargo because its other gateways cannot handle the extra traffic due to the temporary embargo at Eagle Pass, UP stated.
The influx of migrants prompted Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas to issue emergency declaration, citing "severe undocumented immigrant surge," Reuters reported.
The situation is expected to continue for seven days from Tuesday, according to the city's official account on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, the news agency said.