WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House said on Wednesday it was working with Mexico's government to resolve issues that led the Biden administration on Monday to close two rail crossings at the Texas-Mexico border used by increasing numbers of migrants to enter the U.S. The farm groups said the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency could reopen the rail bridges with as few as five employees per crossing, challenging the agency's rationale for shutting down the train routes. A White House spokesperson said later on Wednesday that the U.S. was "working closely with the Mexican government in an attempt to resolve this issue, while surging personnel to the region."
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and state transportation officials on Thursday outlined options for spending the first chunk of $50 million budgeted for railroad crossing improvements in an effort to prevent tragedies like last year’s fatal Amtrak derailment. The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday that poor design contributed to the derailment in the north-central Missouri town of Mendon , which killed four people and injured 146 others.