BTA Lead Panel of Experts on Effective Trade and Commerce
El Paso, TX - On Tuesday, August 12th, Border Trade Alliance (BTA) President Maria Luisa O’Connell addressed an audience of top-level policy-makers and border officials as part of the 5th Annual Border Security Conference. The event, hosted by Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) and the University of Texas El-Paso focused on development of a Bi-National Strategy for Border Protection and Effective Commerce.
BTA President O’Connell addressed the topic of the conference during her presentation. Dallas Morning News quotes Ms. O’Connell in its media coverage of the event:
“Violence has had a large impact on border trade because it affects our perceptions of public safety,” said Maria Louisa O’Connell, president of the Border Trade Alliance. “We have to be careful that we give people an accurate understanding based on facts, not scare stories.”
Ms. O’Connell, addressing the fifth annual conference on border security at the University of Texas at El Paso, said the nation’s preoccupation with tightening security along the border in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks has had an adverse effect on trade.
“That is why one of our biggest challenges now is to restore a sense of balance between trade and security,” she said Tuesday. “The money from trade generates taxes, which pays for homeland security.”
During the “Effective Trade and Commerce” panel at this week’s conference, BTA President O’Connell was joined by panelists Lic. Jorge Cazares Castillo, Director of Border Affairs at the Secretary of Economy, Mexico; Jamie Estrada, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing at the U.S. Department of Commerce; and Thomas Winkowski the Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. During her presentation, BTA President O’Connell also stressed, to the many high-level federal officials attending the conference, the need for federal attention and action on border issues, which are of national significance:
“We have to continue to coordinate as partners to examine the comprehensive cross-border system along both our borders with Canada and Mexico, matching resources with needs and ensuring that in providing for the security of our homeland we also protect our ability to conduct legitimate cross-border economic activity that is a critical component to our national economic health.”
The Border Trade Alliance is continuing its efforts to bring national attention to the critical need for increased federal investment in infrastructure and resources at our nation’s land ports of entry. During the past year, the BTA has brought forward a groundswell of momentum behind the growing concern of increased delays at land border crossings throughout the U.S-Canada and U.S. –Mexico borders. BTA advocacy efforts during the past year toward Congress, federal agencies and national media have resulted in numerous Congressional hearings, countless national media articles, and the introduction of several major bills designed to address the underlying issues driving cross-border delays.
Some examples of BTA success in generating national attention and results from last year’s Border Wait-Times campaign:
BTA Requests Federal Action to Support Economic Viability of Nation’s Ports
Americas 2020 Summit: BTA Recommends Solutions to 21st Century Border Issues
House Holds Hearing on BTA Endorsed Border Legislation
BTA Podcast: Senator Cornyn and Commerce Secretary Gutierrez on Border Delays
BTA Podcast: Senator Hutchison & Congressman Reyes on Wait-Times Legislation
Border Trade Alliance Issues Support for Critical Legislation Impacting Border Wait-Times
BTA Welcomes Legislation to Study Wait-times - Urges Swift Passage
GSA Administrator Presses for More Infrastructure at the Border
BTA Hosts Successful International Conference on Border Issues
BTA Grassroots Campaign on Border Wait Times
Increased Inspections at the Ports of Entry: 60% check of identification
House Committee Holds Hearing on Wait-times Part 2
House Committee Holds Hearing on Wait-times Part 1
BTA Testifies at U.S. House Committee Hearing on Balancing Security and Commerce
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