Obscure U.S. border crossings get funding

WASHINGTON, April 29 (UPI) -- Federal stimulus funding is going to upgrade little-used U.S. border crossings while some of biggest entry points were left out, records show.

The Obama administration has tapped 44 of the 139 federal border crossings to divide $720 million in the stimulus package for general upgrades, including some U.S.-Canada facilities that see as few as two cars per day while such busy entry points as El Paso and Laredo, Texas, were not chosen, USA Today reported Wednesday.

The decision has brought criticism from the Border Trade Alliance advocacy group, which says inadequate facilities at busy U.S.-Mexico crossings have hurt local and the national economies of both countries.

"If we can move traffic much quicker, we're stimulating the economy," alliance member Douglas Doan told the newspaper. "If you put your funding at ports of entry that have almost no trade, then you're getting no return."

But Trent Frazier, deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security's port modernization office, said small crossings "have been overlooked for years" and need upgrades from the stimulus bill while large crossings in San Diego and Laredo are already being expanded.

The Canadian border crossings lack buildings where vehicles can be inspected, he told USA Today.