Calexico Port of Entry modernization

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Currently, Imperial County sits AT 27.8 percent unemployment with 19,900 unemployed.

The unemployment rate has gradually increased by ten percent since February.

According to Bracken the hospitality and leisure industry are slowly coming back.

“The big job gain, the big winner there would be hospitality and leisure which means some restaurants started opening some hotels have opened. That's a pretty significant amount and a little bit of construction and construction has been consistent with people staying employed through this.”

Bracken does foresee the paycheck protection program ending in July and it returning for a second round. However, he does say even with PPP many businesses will not return if the economy continues the way it is.

“If everything goes on more than another six months than you’re gonna have that many more businesses an exponential amount of businesses that don’t have a path to recovery. “

Currently around ten to fifteen percent of small businesses in Imperial County received money from PPP.

Businesses that are driven partly by business coming in from Mexico.

Right now there is still a temporary travel ban. But when things get back to normal traffic is expected to rise.

So the Calexico West port of entry expansion is much needed.

Phase 2a includes an expansion of the inspection building, more inspection lanes, and a new administrative building.

Phase 2B includes a new pedestrian inspection building.

The modernization and expansion are expected to be completed in 2026.

Michael Bracken, managing partner, and Chief Economist of the Development Management Group:

“For most of us who do business in Imperial County and in the border community, the border is nothing more than nuance it’s not a national security issue to most of us its a wall, fence, that is an impediment between two nations and two regions that  depend on each other for economic livelihood.”