TORNILLO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers will begin processing commercial traffic at the Marcelino Serna port of entry August 7, 2023. The cargo lot originally opened in March 2016 however trade operations were temporarily suspended in May 2017 because of limited traffic.
A decision to resume commercial services was made following the June 2023 completion of the Samalayuca toll road in Mexico. The new highway serves as a route for cars and trucks traveling from northern Chihuahua state directly to the border at Marcelino Serna port of entry and bypasses traffic in the Juarez area. Upon completion of the toll road, industry stakeholders and Mexican officials approached CBP to request resumption of commercial traffic through the port to which CBP agreed.
“This state of the art port was built with the future in mind and can be expanded to meet the demand of the trade community,” said acting CBP Director of Field Operation Ray Provencio. “CBP stands ready to meet the growing needs of international trade in our region while also maintaining our vital homeland security mission.”
The cargo facility will initially be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Facility hours may change based upon demand and usage. Trade officials anticipate that as many as 300 trucks a week will use the port initially once service resumes.
CBP officers working at five commercial cargo lots within the El Paso Field Office area of operations processed 1,026,800 commercial shipments during fiscal year 2022 including 654,213 trucks at the Ysleta crossing and 183,743 at the Bridge of the Americas cargo lot. The balance of commercial traffic was processed at cargo facilities at the Presidio, Santa Teresa and Columbus ports.
The Marcelino Serna port of entry originally opened to car and pedestrian traffic in November 2014. The was originally named the Tornillo-Guadalupe port of entry but was renamed for decorated World War I veteran Marcelino Serna in April 2017. The port is situated on 117-acres and is the largest land border port of entry in the nation. It replaced the nearby Fabens port of entry and international bridge.