TREND: With economic recovery continuing, truck crossings with loaded containers showed positive signs in the first quarter of 2021, while total passenger and pedestrian crossings continued to struggle. The top 10 U.S. border ports of entry in 2020 in terms of truck crossings with loaded containers increased in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. With the top ports all decreasing, the largest declines in terms of total passenger and pedestrian crossings in the first quarter of 2021 on a year-over-year basis were exhibited at El Paso PoE and San Ysidro PoE.
•The top 10 U.S. border ports of entry in 2020 in terms of truck crossings with loaded containers increased in the January to March 2021 period compared to the same period last year. The largest increases were exhibited at Laredo PoE with a gain of approximately 49,400 (12.1%), Otay Mesa PoE with a gain of roughly 17,200 (10.4%), Port Huron PoE with an approximate gain of 13,700 (9.2%), and Hidalgo PoE with a gain of roughly 10,300 (9.1%). El Paso PoE increased by about 4,100 (3.6%).
•Moreover, 4 of the top 10 ports exhibited higher numbers in the January to March 2021 period when compared to the January to March 2019 period. Compared to 2019, the ports which increased during this period were Laredo PoE (28,700 or 6.7%), Detroit PoE (13,100 or 5.0%), Otay Mesa PoE (6,300 or 3.6%), and Port Huron PoE (11,400 or 7.6%). El Paso PoE, however, decreased compared to the same period in 2019 by 38,100 (-24.7%).
•The top 10 U.S. ports of entry in 2020 in terms of total passenger and pedestrian crossings decreased in the January to March 2021 period on a year-over-year basis. The largest decreases took place at El Paso PoE with a loss of about 2,201,000 (-38.2%), San Ysidro PoE with a loss of roughly 2,191,000 (-26.6%), and Laredo PoE with a loss of about 1,503,000 (-46.2%).
•In addition, the top ports were down when compared to the January to March 2019 period as well. The ports with the largest decreases in the first three months of 2021 compared to 2019 were also El Paso PoE (-3,291,000 or -48.0%), San Ysidro PoE (-2,256,000 or -27.2%), and Laredo PoE (-1,987,000 or -53.2%).
TAKEAWAY: In the first three months of 2021, truck crossings with loaded containers and passenger and pedestrian crossings showed opposing trends. Truck crossings showed strong signs of recovery with increases compared to 2020 at all ports and increases compared to 2019 at 4 ports. On the other hand, passenger and pedestrian crossings remained down significantly compared to 2020, even amidst the slow, but continuous reopening and recovery of the economy.
* Since 2014, the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness at The University of Texas at El Paso has provided economic analysis of the Paso del Norte Region that includes the binational communities of El Paso, Texas; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. The mission of the Hunt Institute is to produce high-quality market analysis tools that can strengthen regional and binational cross-border economic and social development. Twitter: @HuntPasoDeNorte
