# Closure of Two Major U.S./Mexico Border Crossings Halts Rail Traffic, Weaken Domestic Commodity Markets

> US Customs and Border Protection closed rail crossings at El Paso and Eagle Pass on December 18, 2023, halting rail traffic into Mexico. Union Pacific estimates the disruption costs $200 million per day, and trains are being held at origin, leaving Mexican feeders short of grain and US domestic rail markets congested.

- Date: 2023-12-21 · published 2023-12-21T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/32727-closure-of-two-major-u-s-mexico-border-crossings-halts-rail-traffic-weaken
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Sorghum](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SORGHUM.md)

## Why it matters

Stranded corn trains push surplus grain into the US domestic market, widening freight and basis discounts and weakening local corn prices until the rail flow resumes.

## Read by commodity

- CORN: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2023-12-20 | [Railroad closure at U.S.-Mexico border puts some grain shipments on hold - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32730-railroad-closure-at-u-s-mexico-border-puts-some-grain-shipments-on-hold.md) | +3.1% | -1.9% |
| CORN | 2023-12-20 | [AAR: There’s no end in sight to closure of two Texas rail gateways to Mexico (updated) - Trains](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32729-aar-there-s-no-end-in-sight-to-closure-of-two-texas-rail-gateways-to-mexico.md) | +3.1% | -1.9% |
| CORN | 2023-04-27 | [Flooding on Upper Mississippi River to halt barge traffic for weeks, USDA says](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16633-flooding-on-upper-mississippi-river-to-halt-barge-traffic-for-weeks-usda-says.md) | -0.9% | -4.0% |
| CORN | 2023-12-19 | [Border rail closures due to migrant surge snarl grain shipping \| Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32728-border-rail-closures-due-to-migrant-surge-snarl-grain-shipping-agri-pulse.md) | +1.6% | -1.9% |
| CORN | 2022-10-10 | [Mississippi River reopens to barge traffic after low water closures - U.S. Coast Guard \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16671-mississippi-river-reopens-to-barge-traffic-after-low-water-closures-u-s-coast.md) | +0.6% | -0.3% |

## Sources

- iowafarmbureau.com: https://www.iowafarmbureau.com/Article/Closure-of-Two-Major-USMexico-Border-Crossings-Halts-Rail-Traffic-Weaken-Domestic-Commodity-Markets

---
Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.