Border chaos forces truckers to wait hours, sometimes days

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — The Trump administration has reassigned so many inspectors from Mexico border crossings that truckers are waiting in line for hours and sometimes days to get shipments to the United States.

Hundreds of Customs and Border Protection officers have been temporarily assigned to deal with a surge of families arriving at the border. The result is that truckers have been sleeping in their vehicles to hold spots in line. The wait times in El Paso, Texas, were so long that the city brought in portable toilets for drivers.

President Donald Trump backed off his threat to close the border, but the long waits have created significant impediments for truckers and travelers. Business leaders are losing patience too as they struggle to get products to grocery stores, manufacturers and construction sites.