Five things to know about the reopening of the U.S.-Mexico border

1. It’s back to business as usual. Almost.

Beginning Monday, Nov. 8, the U.S. will allow foreign travelers to enter the country again after almost 20 months of COVID-19 imposed restrictions. Travelers once designated as non-essential, such as tourists, will be able to enter the country via land, air and ferry as long as they are fully vaccinated and have the proper documentation to enter the country legally.

2. Proof of vaccination is required.

Travelers must show proof of vaccination when entering the U.S. by land, air or ferry. According to US Customs and Border Protection, proof of vaccination will be accepted on paper or digitally. For now, the U.S. will only accept travelers fully vaccinated with vaccines approved by the World Health Organization. The CanSino vaccine from China or the Sputnik vaccine from Russia are not WHO approved.

3. Texas is No. 2 in border crossings.

The Lone Star state border ranks second in land traffic from Mexico to the United States, just below California, according to Bureau of Transportation statistics. Between January and August 2021, 43.1% of people crossing the border in a personal vehicle passed through California; 42.7% arrived through Texas. While 46.2% of pedestrians crossed through California, 37.5% of all border crossers passed the border on foot through Texas.

Texas concentrates 82% of those who entered by bus, while only 4.7% crossed through California. Texas dominates on cargo traffic, as 67.8% of the containers passed through the state border, while only 22.5% passed through California.

4. Dallas-Fort Worth dominates among international flights.

International travel has been down 40% so far this year at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport compared to 2019. But the lifting of travel restrictions is expected to create a major boost. D/FW has 165 international flights scheduled on Monday, the first day with the new travel rules, according to flight schedule service Diio by Cirium. DFW Airport is scheduled for more than 2,800 international flights in December and will accept passengers from 61 foreign destinations. That 61 non-stop international destinations ties the airport’s own record first reached in 2019. Cities that weren’t on flight charts from DFW a year ago, such as Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Lima, Peru, have been reintroduced. But some haven’t returned and may not return for many more months, including flights on Qantas Airways to Sydney and American Airlines flights to Beijing and Shanghai.

5. Texas rakes it in from border crossings.

In almost 20 months of partial border closure, the entire U.S. border region lost an estimated $20 billion in economic impact from people who stopped crossing the border on a regular basis to buy or consume goods or services, according to an estimate made by Jose Iván Rodríguez, a researcher at the Baker Institute’s Center for the United States and Mexico.

Texas lost an economic benefit of at least $5.7 billion just for the direct spending that travelers usually make in the United States, said Rodríguez. The total loss to Texas, including direct and indirect revenues, would be about $12 billion.