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   Major railroads Union-Pacific and BNSF, a subsidiary of Berkshire   
   Hathaway, are urging the reopening of El Paso and Eagle Pass   
   crossings so their freight can pass. Since the closure of these key   
   Texas border crossings earlier this week in a battle over illegal   
   immigration and a surge of migrants, almost half a billion dollars   
   in trade has been halted.   
      
   Union Pacific says $200 million worth of trade moves in and out of   
   these crossings a day. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection   
   announced rail operations would be halted at El Paso and Eagle Pass,   
   Texas beginning Monday in light of the surge of migrants crossing   
   the border. Collectively both railroads operate 24 trains daily at   
   these crossings.   
      
   BNSF told CNBC it was still working on an estimate of the economic   
   impact amid a fluid situation.   
      
   These two border crossings represent 45% of Union Pacific’s cross-   
   border business. Union Pacific has said for every day that the   
   border is closed, the company is forced to embargo customers’ goods   
   on more than 60 trains, or nearly 4,500 rail cars, with an   
   equivalent of goods being held in Mexico. It is also a labor issue   
   for the rail, with employees unable to work and no timeline   
   available for when they may be able to return to the job, Union-   
   Pacific said. BNSF also cited issues for employees who provide daily   
   service on trains that cross the border, as well as what it   
   described as significant downstream impacts on employees across its   
   freight system, with affected trains typically traveling throughout   
   a 32,500-mile network.   
      
   According to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data, El Paso and   
   Eagle Pass accounted for $33.95 billion, or 35.8%, of all cross-   
   border rail traffic from November 2022-October 2023.   
      
   Government officials tell CNBC the closure is a safety and security   
   issue for the migrants, citing cases of dismemberment, death and   
   unaccompanied children riding the rails. Numbers provided range from   
   500 to 1,000 at a time, and the migrants pose a significant   
   challenge to CBP and the safety of the migrants.   
      
   Both railroads refute these numbers.   
      
   “Very few migrants cross into the U.S. on trains,” Union Pacific   
   said in a statement. “During this massive surge, only five people   
   have attempted to come into the U.S. on Union Pacific trains in the   
   last five weeks.”   
      
   The company said Union Pacific Police and its employees work in   
   partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ensure all   
   trains are screened.   
      
   In a statement to CNBC, a spokesman for BNSF said, “Through our   
   efforts, we have experienced very few people attempting to cross the   
   border on trains at both ports of entry.”   
      
   Both BNSF and Union Pacific say they have security and technology   
   such as X-rays to detect illicit cargo and people.   
      
   The closures have sparked an outcry from the grain and chemical   
   industries that use the rail to move their product.   
      
   Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer, for   
   the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has said while the crisis at the   
   border must be addressed, halting the legal movement of commerce   
   will do nothing to secure the border.   
      
   “Shutting down rail traffic through Eagle Pass and El Paso will   
   inflict significant economic harm not only upon American businesses,   
   but also the farmers, factory workers, and millions of other law-   
   abiding Americans whose jobs depend on the efficient movement of   
   goods,” Bradley said. “We urge the administration to reverse course   
   and reopen the rail passages.”   
      
   Key products that move through these crossings include agricultural   
   products, automotive parts, finished vehicles, chemicals, consumer   
   goods, and more.   
      
   For the agricultural sector in particular, at risk is up to nearly   
   two-thirds of all U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico, which move   
   via rail. According to an agricultural trade group representing many   
   U.S. growers which urged the government to end the border closures,   
   Mexico was the second-largest export market in 2022 with $28.5   
   billion in sales, and each day the crossings are closed results in   
   an estimated one million bushels of grain exports lost.   
      
   “Each additional day of closures results in rail carriers having to   
   idle trains or reroute them in illogical ways to try and serve   
   customers, all of which adds friction within the supply chain. We   
   are aware of grain trains sitting at origin in at least six states   
   that are unable to move, and we expect this number to grow,” the   
   group wrote in a letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of the   
      
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