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Receiving Line

Tracking volume, commodities, and trends in Nogales
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Jones says the agencies involved are “sensitive to this [issue] and there have been some regulations and special legislation that include additional incentives to encourage new hires by CBP to help staff the Arizona ports.”

Around the time of the rebuild completion in 2014, Jones says Congress authorized an additional 2,000 staff to the Arizona ports but only about half of these positions have been filled.

Hiring requirements, as well as internal policies and procedures, continue to create a challenge finding and hiring qualified candidates.

Possible solutions
During the off season, the Port operates fairly well—but not at peak season.

One solution is bringing in officers from other ports during peak season; another is the Unified Cargo Processing (UCP) program, which brings Mexican officials across the border to perform inspections simultaneously with U.S. officials to save time for everyone involved. Currently, the UCP program is limited to certified FAST (Free and Secure Trade) carriers, which does not encompass the vast majority of trucks coming across the border.

Other measures include the SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection) program for expedited clearance of preapproved, low-risk travelers, or Ready Lanes, dedicated lanes for border crossing using radio frequency identification (RFID) for prescreened travelers.

While these programs are under consideration, the Mariposa Port is still hoping to secure more staff to increase efficiency and decrease crossing times.

“Congress has authorized CBP to hire a number of officers for the port,” confirms Jones, “and my understanding is that they have made some changes in the requirements [to] increase the number of applicants.” He says incentives are also on the table for officers willing to come to Arizona to work.

NAFTA—and the Future of Trade
One big unknown relates to any potential import/export regulations brought into force by retooling the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or other trade-related laws, which continue rounds of discussion. Most wholesalers, growers, and retailers are continuing business as usual until any definitive changes are presented.

“There’s a lot of conversation about changes, especially here at the border,” acknowledges Sykes, saying Mexican growers are nervous about possible quotas and tariffs. But he isn’t particularly worried, due to the billions in trade at stake for all three countries. “Nobody wants a trade war,” he contends.

Produce House’s Espinoza says most are in a watch-and-wait mode. “We’re at a standstill waiting to see what will happen with any changes to NAFTA.

It’s been in place for more than 20 years and has been great for all of us, not just Mexico, but the United States and Canada. Can it be improved? Yes, but making major changes would be a big mistake,” she adds.

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