WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined the entire Iowa delegation in calling on President Biden and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas to establish operational control of railway crossing bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, secure the Southern border, and reopen the flow of goods as quickly as possible.

The lawmakers wrote: “We write to you with grave concerns regarding the decision to suspend major rail crossings between Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, restricting the free flow of legally transported goods to and from Mexico. This shortsighted decision punishes Americans and American small businesses—particularly farmers in Iowa—for your administration’s failure to secure the border.

“Since the beginning of the Biden Administration, more than 6.4 million illegal immigrants have poured over the southern border and into our country. Appallingly, this is more than double the population of our home state of Iowa… Iowans are already paying the price for your disastrous policies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 475 Iowans died in 2021—the most recent year for which there is data—as a result of a drug overdose.2 These numbers will only increase as more and more illicitly trafficked drugs flow across our open border.

“More than one-third of the nation’s business with Mexico is exchanged between Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas. Further, 45 percent of Union Pacific’s U.S.-Mexico business is conducted through these railways. For every day the railways are closed, 60 trains sit idle and 4,500 Union Pacific rail cars face delay, contributing to the embargo of grain and other goods… Iowa proudly leads the country in agriculture, with our farmers working day in, day out to feed and fuel the world. The importance of rail for transporting Iowa’s grain and agricultural products across the country cannot be overstated.

“Let us be clear: this punitive move to harm America’s farmers will exacerbate the pain already felt by families across the country because of the border crisis you caused. We, therefore, urge you to establish operational control of these passes to reopen the flow of legal goods as quickly as possible.”

Read the letter here.

Background:

Ernst has consistently worked to secure the Southern border. In May, she led the BUILD IT Act, which would require the federal government to transfer any material associated with the construction of the border barrier to any state, upon request, for the materials’ original purpose.

Ernst also spearheaded the Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act, a bipartisan effort to address fentanyl trafficking by utilizing Department of Defense tools and involving Mexico as an active partner to combat this crisis and disrupt Mexican cartel activity. This bill was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024.

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