McAllen downtown businesses face fewer sales, as bridge crossings drop

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) —Businesses in McAllen, Texas, are experiencing a significant decline in sales due to a drop in border crossings at local ports of entry.

The decrease in crossings at the Anzalduas and McAllen-Hidalgo bridges has led to reduced foot traffic and sales for local businesses. Business owners attribute this trend to fears over immigration enforcement and military inspections on the Mexican side of the border.

"Sales have dropped by 75% because, well, people are afraid," said Manuel Zavala, manager at Raquel Perfumes. "Wholesale customers who’ve been coming to the store for 10, 15, even 20 years are still coming now, but they come with fear."

Andrea Salas, owner of Andrea’s Alteraciones, reported a 50% drop in sales, citing fewer customers from Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon, as well as locals, due to immigration fears. "Many people from Monterrey come here to see me, and a lot of people from Reynosa, Matamoros, and from here along the border — it has gone down a lot, even from the local people here, and I am not the only one," she said.

The city of McAllen is aware of the impact on local businesses and is working with officials to find a more efficient system for border crossings. Assistant City Manager Juan Olaguibel noted that Mexican military inspections are creating long lines that discourage vehicular traffic, although pedestrian crossings at the McAllen-Hidalgo Bridge have increased by 18%.

"We are having Mexican military doing 100% inspections, so they are making lines longer, and so as a shopper or someone who wants to come across that is the challenge that they are having," said Olaguibel.

Manuel Zavala explained that the reduction in sales has forced businesses like his to cut employee hours due to the lack of customer flow. "Workers had their hours reduced because the system isn’t there and there’s no longer the flow there used to be," Zavala said.

Business owners believe that reducing immigration enforcement fears could encourage people to shop again, potentially reversing the decline in sales and foot traffic in McAllen.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KVEO. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KVEO staff before being published.