Texas Clamps Down on Border in El Paso

Frustration mounted among truck drivers who were waiting in line for the second inspection, after having crossed the international bridge. Many shook their heads, and others got out of their trucks and studied the slow pace at which the trucks were moving.

“We heard this is happening because of the undocumented workers,” said Roberto Lugo, who reached the international bridge on the Mexican side at 6 p.m. on Monday. By 10 a.m. the next morning, he had crossed the border but was still behind a row of trucks at the intersection of Delta Drive and Gateway North, not far from the main bridge.

Mr. Lugo had been told that the Texas state police were starting their own inspections on Tuesday. “They are just causing a backup for no reason, and it delays our work,” he said. “The line is not moving. This is not going to stop immigrants crossings. It only affects us.”

Some had heard that the state police checkpoints that made their lives miserable months ago had returned.

Gonzalo Luna, who transports electronics across the border, was told that state officials had to inspect his truck, and seemed dismayed by how long he had been idling. “I’m beyond frustrated. I feel a sense of desperation,” he said. “Today is the first day they are doing this. I hope it is the last.”

Similar scenes were playing out in Ciudad Juárez, where truck drivers formed an orderly line at the Cordova bridge on Tuesday morning. Some said that crossings had been stopped for at least two hours.

“Normally, it takes 30, 40 minutes to cross, but now I’m wondering if we’ll be here for days,” said Oscar Barba, 50, a truck driver from Juárez who was taking a cargo of cardboard to El Paso to be recycled. “I’m just hoping this doesn’t last long. We all have work to do, families at home waiting for us.”