‘You can taste it’: El Paso residents fear air pollution will worsen after border crossing upgrade

Neighbors want to get the trucks out' as the idling vehicles choke the air, causing a public health concern in the historically disadvantaged area

On a dark November night, a stream of cars and trucks lined up to cross the US border into Mexico. The commute, a commonplace one for many who live and work in the border city of El Paso, Texas, seemed interminable, and as the wait dragged on, the exhaust leaving idling cars choked the surrounding air.

At Bridge of the Americas, one of the region's most popular ports of entry, this slow crawl across the border is a near daily occurrence - and residents of surrounding communities say the resulting air pollution is killing them.