Lukeville Port of Entry reopens

LUKEVILLE, Ariz. (NBC) - The Lukeville Port of Entry reopened Thursday morning after a month-long shutdown.

The Lukeville Port of Entry is located in the Border Patrol's Tucson sector, which was the single busiest region for border crossings in October.

The port of entry had been closed due to the historic migrant surge in the southwest border.

Customs and Border Patrol agents who normally staffed the crossing had been reassigned to process migrants seeking asylum at another location.

The shutdown forced travelers to cross into or out of the U.S. some three hours away, and more than doubled travel time from Phoenix to Mexico.

That had a devastating effect on businesses on both sides of the U.S. - Mexico border.

An average of 3,140 people in vehicles and 184 pedestrians entered the U.S. daily in Lukeville during October, according to the U.S. Transportation Department.