/ Modified jun 8, 2016 9:59 a.m.

Nogales Merchant Blames US Customs for Lost Business

More agents are needed to reduce long lines at the border, one leading retailer says.

Nogales Crawford street Crawford Street in Nogales.
AZPM Staff

U.S.-­bound foot traffic at the Nogales border has increased by 250,000 people since 2014, the U.S. Department of Transportation has reported.

But that hasn’t translated into more people shopping in downtown Nogales, Ariz., one merchant said. In fact, he said, the opposite is true.

That is because of understaffing of U.S. Customs agents at the pedestrian crossings of the border, department store owner Bruce Bracker said. Government figures show Border Patrol and Customs are down almost 1,000 positions in Nogales.

"What that equates to is that lines are closed (at the border crossings)," Bracker said. "Wait times are longer and people are changing their buying habits."

Bracker's grandparents opened Bracker's Department Store in 1907, and since then it has catered to customers from both sides of the border.

That is, until border security restrictions tightened a few years ago.

Besides long lines at the crossings, the decade-­old requirement that all U.S. residents show their passports to return to the country after they visit south of the border is deterring people, Bracker said.

He said winter visitors and those who come to Arizona year round used to incorporate a trip across the border as part of their visit. Now, he said, "It's just too much of a hassle," and they don't even come to Nogales, let alone cross into Mexico.

Bracker said merchants want two changes: more agents at the border and a relaxing of border crossing regulations between Nogales, Sonora, and Nogales, Ariz.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona