U.S. troops sealed off two lanes at a Nogales port of entry Wednesday, as they continued to hang razor wire on the border fence.
"CBP will provide an update when the materials are removed and the lanes re-opened, however it is not anticipated this will occur until after the caravan arrives at the border. Persons traveling through some ports of entry may anticipate periodic increased wait times because of these exercises," officials said in a news release.
The additional wire, along with placement of large barriers, or conex boxes, on some of the northbound vehicle lanes, is part of Customs and Border Protection's efforts to "ramp up operational readiness exercises and mobilization of resources," in preparation for the potential arrival of the caravan, according to the release. So far, members of the caravan have started to arrive in Tijuana.
Federal police dressed in riot gear appeared to be practicing for a future confrontation in one of the closed lanes Wednesday morning, the Nogales International reported.
The CBP office that oversees West Texas and New Mexico also warned travelers of longer wait-times at ports of entry in the region, the Associated Press reported.
Officials said Wednesday that specially-trained officers from the El Paso and Tornillo ports in Texas and New Mexico's Santa Teresa port are being deployed to California and Arizona in preparation for the arrival of an approaching caravan of migrants from Central America. The first group reached Tijuana on Tuesday, the AP reported.
El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha says the deployment will affect the agency's travel and trade operations in West Texas and New Mexico. Some lanes at the ports will close and processing times are expected to increase.
