TORNILLO, Texas -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection is processing northbound vehicular and pedestrian traffic at the new Tornillo international port of entry. CBP began routing traffic from the former Fabens port of entry inspection area to the newly built Tornillo port of entry primary inspection at 6 a.m. today.
Drivers and pedestrians using the new inspection facility continue to utilize the existing two-lane Fabens bridge while construction continues on the new six-lane span. Travelers entering the U.S. from Mexico pass the old inspection facilities and arrive at the new inspection station for processing. They then exit the facility and proceed north. Both the old and new inspection facilities are within the property lines of the 117-acre Tornillo port of entry footprint.
“The soft opening of the Tornillo port of entry allows CBP to utilize the new facility while construction continues within the compound and in Mexico,” said Hector Mancha, CBP Director of Field Operations in El Paso. “A formal grand opening event will be scheduled once both facilities are finished and ready for use. No date has been set but by moving into the new facility today we can enhance our level of service and processing capacity in advance of the holiday season.”
Once fully open the new Tornillo port of entry will provide for both noncommercial and commercial inspections. The facility has four vehicle primary inspection stations. The old Fabens port had two. The port also has two primary commercial lanes and 10 inspection docks. There was no commercial traffic processed at the old port. The facilities are expandable to meet growth as needed. The Fabens port of entry processes approximately 300,000 northbound cars and 65,000 northbound pedestrians annually.