US Food Exports Worth $28 Billion at Risk From Border Closures

Rail-border closures between the US and Mexico are disrupting a $28.5 billion market for American agricultural exports, a coalition of grain and food producers is warning.

More than 40 US food companies and associations, including a key group representing the nation’s grain producers, sent a letter addressed to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas urging the government to reopen the El Paso and Eagle Pass international rail crossings in Texas.

Roughly two-thirds of all US agricultural exports to Mexico move via rail.

US Customs and Border Protection temporarily shuttered the crossings this week, citing “a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations ...