Economics
Border Shutdowns Could Cost Billions, San Diego Chamber Warns
- Damaged industries include electronics, medical and tourism
- A border mall was shut Sunday, Otay Mesa port was congested
Photographer: Luis Antonio Rojas/Bloomberg
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Shutting down ports of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego could cost local industry billions as the Trump administrations grapples with how to control an influx of immigrants, say business officials in the region.
Even temporary closures are creating traffic snarls and delays, clogging the border as vehicles lined up for hours to cross into the U.S. and already slowing economic activity, said Paola Avila, a vice president at the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. The threat of violence prompted owners of a shopping center near the San Ysidro Port of Entry to evacuate the mall and shutter stores Sunday in the middle of the holiday shopping weekend.