San Luis Port Expansion Stalls, Mexico Funding Not Approved

Local and regional officials were left facing an uncertain timeline after a November 17, 2025 report from KYMA confirmed that the Mexican side of the San Luis port of entry expansion lacks an approved start date and budget allocation. The mismatch comes as work on the U.S. side is well advanced and expected to be complete next year. The discrepancy threatens to leave a modernized American facility waiting for corresponding capacity on the Mexican side.

The project has been in development since 2018 and was designed to ease vehicle and pedestrian processing, reduce congestion and support the flow of goods and visitors across the border. Without synchronized construction and funding commitments on both sides of the boundary, local officials warned the delay will prolong long wait times and continue to disrupt cross border trade, tourism and daily mobility for residents who travel between San Luis, Arizona and San Luis, Mexico on a regular basis.

KYMA’s reporting noted that a San Luis, Mexico city council member said the 2026 federal budget does not include funding for their portion of the works. That omission leaves municipal leaders and binational partners scrambling to identify alternatives, rework schedules and manage expectations for merchants, daily commuters and agricultural shipments that rely on predictable crossing times. For Yuma County, where many businesses depend on cross border customers and seasonal labor flows, extended delays carry economic as well as social consequences.

The U.S. investment and near completion of its side of the facility underscores a coordination challenge that reaches beyond local construction. Ports of entry operate at the intersection of infrastructure planning, international coordination and national budget cycles. The absence of a Mexican budget allocation means federal approval and disbursement will be needed before ground can be broken on the Mexican side, a process that can be subject to shifting priorities at the national level.

Local leaders are urging dialogue and expedited decisions to close the financial gap and align timelines. Until the Mexican funding and a start date are secured, residents should expect the continuation of current delays that affect commerce, tourism and the routine mobility of families, workers and visitors who depend on the San Luis crossing. The situation highlights how binational projects require synchronized political will and financing to deliver benefits to border communities on both sides of the line.