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The opinions of individual BTA Border Blog contributors don't necessarily reflect the editorial position of Border Trade Alliance as a whole.

May 01

Border Closure Unwarranted - BTA Supports Administration’s Rational Approach to H1N1 Flu

Published by Policy.
in Advocacy, Environ & Health, Travel & Immigration. 0 Comments

Open Border

 

Border Trade Alliance (BTA) strongly urges the Administration to continue using medical expert guidance, along with a rational and common-sense approach toward dealing with the recent outbreak of H1N1 influenza that has quickly spread across the globe.

Recent statements by elected officials urging the Administration to close the U.S. border with Mexico are without merit.  The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and her predecessor Michael Chertoff have all stated that containment of the outbreak to Mexico is no longer an achievable outcome and even in ideal situations, border closures are marginal at best in containing the spread of any infectious disease.

BTA strongly supports federal action to provide support and care for communities impacted with the H1N1 virus and to further engage the public to help mitigate the spread of this virus by employing actions as suggested by leading world health experts.

Pursuit of irrational and purely symbolic actions, such as in closing our borders when experts continue to assert that it is an ineffective strategy, only serves to the detriment of our national economy with negligible results in addressing the situation.

“Isolating our nation from our North American neighbor serves no role in protecting public health and will only impede our economic health,” states Erin Ward, Chair of the Border Trade Alliance.

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Apr 29

Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Wilson Addresses BTA International Conference 2009

Published by Events.
in Advocacy, Infrastructure, Import & Export, Travel & Immigration. 0 Comments

Ambassador Wilson

 

The Honourable Michael Wilson, Canadian Ambassador to the U.S., spoke before the Border Trade Alliance (BTA) International Conference and Congressional Briefing, “New Administration, New Border Policy”, in Washington DC, April 20 & 21, 2009. The Ambassador addressed North American Trade, WHTI, U.S. Canadian Relations, ports infrastructure, and the “crucial necessity of continuing and expanding the existing level of border co-operation between Canada and the U.S., at the highest levels.”  The full transcript and video of Ambassador Wilson’s speech is below:

Ambassador Michael Wilson: Thank you for that generous introduction. And thank you as well for your invitation.

I appreciate this opportunity provided by the Border Trade Alliance to offer some Canadian perspectives on our mutual international boundary.

The BTA is a great organization. I’d like to thank the organizers of this international conference — and all Alliance members — not only for this occasion, but also for the valuable work on border issues that you undertake throughout the year. Especially as they relate to your northern border. Read More →

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Apr 29

World Health Organization Speaks Out Against Border Closings in Swine Flu Outbreak

Published by Policy.
in Advocacy, Travel & Immigration. 0 Comments

WHO open borders

 

Federal Health Officials Urge Common Sense in Response to H1N1 Influenza Outbreak

On April 27, 2009, World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan issued guidance for the international response to the recent outbreak of influenza in Mexico that has spread internationally.  Key points from the Director-General were:

  • Given the widespread presence of the virus, the Director-General considered that containment of the outbreak is not feasible. The current focus should be on mitigation measures.
  • The Director-General recommended not to close borders and not to restrict international travel. It was considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention.
Further, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control urges common-sense steps individuals can take to prevent infection of influenza and other illnesses:

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

  • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

  • Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
  • If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports that all U.S. land ports are operating routinely:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is monitoring all information and guidance concerning the outbreak of H1N1 flu. At this time all U.S. ports of entry are open and operating as normal with officers using risk based border screening.

CBP officers and Border Patrol agents are responding to guidance from health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They are monitoring the health of incoming travelers and taking all appropriate precautions. CBP collaborates with CDC and local health officials to assess potential threats, including referring a person with symptoms to a CDC quarantine station or a local public health official for evaluation.

CBP reminds U.S. citizens and those with plans to enter the United States from Mexico to monitor health information at the CDC Web site.

For additional information about the federal and international response to the H1N1 influenza outbreak visit CDC , WHO and CBP ’s websites.

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Apr 27

DHS Secretary Napolitano Address to Border Trade Alliance International Conference 2009

Published by Events.
in Advocacy, Import & Export, Travel & Immigration. 0 Comments

BTA Napolitano

 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano, spoke before the Border Trade Alliance (BTA) International Conference and Congressional Briefing, “New Administration, New Border Policy”, in Washington DC, April 20 & 21, 2009. The Secretary addressed North American Trade, Border Security, Canada and Mexico Relations, Ports of Entry infrastructure and resources, South Bound inspections, and other border policies President Obama’s administration is working on this year.  The full transcript of Secretary Napolitano’s speech and Q&A are below:

Secretary Napolitano: Thank you, thank you. Well, thank you and good morning to everybody. It’s a pleasure to be here and I’ve seen some of you, literally, at the ports. We’ve been traveling quite a bit in my first 90 days as the Secretary of Homeland Security. Yesterday was the three month anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration and I think it can fairly be said that everybody has been running at full speed for those days and so much has been done, but so much is left to be done. So, I want to thank the Border Trade Alliance for having me because the mission of the Department of Homeland Security has such a direct impact on what you do every day.

Last week, I visited three locations on the southern border: El Paso [Texas], Columbus, N.M., and Nogales, Ariz., before heading to Mexico for the second time as Secretary of Homeland Security. That same week, last week, the new Deputy Secretary, she was just confirmed two weeks ago, Jane Hall Lute, visited the northern border at Buffalo and Ottawa. Last month, I also visited Laredo [Texas] and Otay Mesa [Calif.]. And President Obama already has been to Canada and to Mexico. So, clearly you can see, in this first 90 days that we are focused on the border and that we are personally engaged, both from a security standpoint and from a trade standpoint. The two go together. We cannot separate one from the other. Now, to be sure, we face a range of threats at the border from drugs and weapons to human smuggling and human trafficking. And we need to act accordingly to address each of these. So, let me talk about those and then I’ll talk a little bit about the some of the trade impacts. Read More →

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Apr 02

GSA Plans $300m in Border Port Upgrades Aid Secure Trade

Published by Policy.
in Advocacy, Infrastructure, Press Releases. 0 Comments

Border ports photo for GSA post

 

Federal stimulus funds move towards addressing critical border port upgrades, but more long-term investment is needed to address increasing trade and security demands at the border.

Yesterday, the General Services Administration (GSA) submitted details to the U.S. Congress, on a proposed plan for border land port infrastructure spending, as approved under the recently enacted economic stimulus measure, H.R. 1 the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  GSA was appropriated $300 million and the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was allotted $420 million toward land port infrastructure upgrades as part of H.R. 1.

Border Trade Alliance (BTA) pressed Congress last year to include federal funding for land border crossing upgrades and resources to support the hundreds of thousands of jobs that depend on the $830 billion in cross-border economic activity conducted at U.S. shared borders with Canada and Mexico.  While the BTA is pleased that the U.S. Congress appropriated $720 million for border ports to GSA and CBP in the economic stimulus, a commitment to sustained investment in upgrading the U.S.’s decades-old, overburdened ports is essential to future economic growth and security.

The majority of U.S. border crossings were not designed to handle the volume of trade that has resulted with the success of the North American Free Trade Agreement or the increased security operations that have been brought online since 2001.  While the economic downturn has reduced the volume of crossings at many U.S. land ports, the value of cross-border North American trade last year rose to a record $830 billion, due largely to growth in U.S. exports to Canada and Mexico.
“The BTA appreciates that Congress and the Administration approved $720 million in the stimulus bill for much-needed border crossing infrastructure upgrades,” notes Erin Martin Ward, Chair of the BTA, “We need continued leadership at the federal level to ensure that the tremendous growth in NAFTA trade and the economic activity it has generated can be sustained.  Canada and Mexico are the U.S.’s largest two export markets and we cannot afford to overlook the additional funding needed to upgrade our land ports to facilitate their critical contribution to our national economy and our security.”

GSA’s announced plan for spending the $300 million include funding for the following port infrastructure projects ($1,000s USD): Read More →

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Mar 12

BTA Warning on Cancellation of DOT Cross-Border Trucking Program Goes Unheeded

Published by Policy.
in Advocacy, Legislation, Import & Export, Press Releases. 0 Comments

DOT Trucking Long Road

 

Mexico Responds with $2.4 Billion in Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Exports

In February, the Border Trade Alliance (BTA), the leading advocacy organization representing border communities and trade, wrote to House and Senate leaders urging them to intercede in any legislative attempt to cancel the 18 month old Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Cross-Border Trucking Demonstration Program.  On March 10, 2009 Congress approved and President Obama signed into law H.R. 1105, the FY09 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which contained a provision to de-fund DOT’s demonstration program, effectively ending the program.

The BTA was an early advocate of DOT’s Cross-Border Trucking program, which for the first time provided reciprocal access to the U.S. and Mexico transportation market for a limited number of U.S. and Mexican trucking companies.  The cross-border demonstration program fulfilled a final obligation under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that was ratified in 1994.

In its February 27, 2009 letter to House and Senate leadership the Border Trade Alliance warned of swift trade retaliation from Mexico with any move to end the demonstration program, forwarning that:

“Ending this (DOT Cross-Border Trucking) program by removing its funding is irresponsible as it would prompt immediate trade retaliation from Mexico.  During these very difficult economic times, our nation, our economy and our workers cannot afford a trade war with our second largest export market.” Read More →

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Mar 05

Secretario de Gobernación, Fernando Gómez Mont, Addresses Border Trade Community

Published by Policy.
in Advocacy, Legislation, Travel & Immigration. 2 Comments

 Secretary Gomez Mont - BTA Conference Mexico 2009

Secretary Gómez Mont, at BTA's Mexico City Conf.

February 24, 2009, Mexico City - Fernando Gomez Mont, Secretary of the Interior (Internal Affairs) in Mexico (Secretario de Gobernación) - head of the agency in tasked with addressing mexico’s narco and public saftey issues - spoke confidently about Mexico’s future and “reinforced” a commitment to the war on organized crime before participants at the “Security and Saftey: The Impact on Cross-Border Trade” Border Trade Alliance Conference in Mexico City. The Secretary encouraged cooperation, vigilance, patience, and responsibility from all levels of governement, the media, and the United States in the war, while reiterating the border region’s continued importance as a vital economic engine central to reform and prosperity in Mexico.

Watch the 4 part series of the presentation and Q & A (in spanish, Q&A below):

Secretary Gomez Mont stressed that when the decision was made to undertake the war on organized crime and corruption in Mexico, “we were aware that it would be costly,” however, abounded Gomez Mont, “we decided to do so, because it is the only morally valid option for a society that aspires to live in peace and freedom and because not doing so is more expensive.”

“The federal government clearly has the goal of restoring peace to our society.” said the Secretary. Later, he went on to say, “We know that without true security in a democracy there can be neither prosperity nor full economic development. The country we want our children to inherit needs to be built on an environment of certainty in which we can develop our potential. Never like today have we recognized the magnitude of the challenge from the federal government and have taken actions to address it.” Read More →

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Mar 03

Leslie A. Bassett, U.S. Interim Ambassador to Mexico Addresses BTA in Mexico City

Published by Policy.
in Advocacy, Infrastructure, Import & Export, Travel & Immigration. 1 Comment

Ambassador at BTA Mexico city Conf. 2009

Leslie Bassett, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy Mexico

Mexico City, February 24, 2009 – “I am optimistic that this time of trial, both in terms of economic and security challenges, will end in stronger trade ties, deeper security cooperation, and safer, more prosperous communities in both Mexico and the United States,” said Leslie Bassett, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, in an address to the attendees of the Border Trade Alliance (BTA) Mexico City Conference, “Security and Safety: The Impact On Cross-Border Trade.”

Watch the 2 part series of the presentation (in English) below:

Ms. Bassett told the assembled group of U.S. and Mexican businessmen, and government officials that the U.S. has accelerated the development of technologies that will make border crossings more efficient, and the targeting of border risks more accurate. She also noted there are more U.S. government officials working the border at ports of entry and areas in between than ever before, and that part of the economic stimulus bill President Obama recently signed, includes important resources for modernization of both the U.S.-Mexico and the U.S.-Canada borders - a result of successful BTA led campaigns to increase funding for border infrastructure and resources.

The interim ambassador reaffirmed commitments to U.S.-Mexican trade expounding the successes of NAFTA for all three partners, “So important is this movement of people and goods between our countries that seven of nine U.S. Consulates in Mexico are located in border states.” She noted that $1 billion in goods and services and 1 million people legally cross the US-Mexico border every day. Two-way trade in 2008 stood at $367 billion. The Mexican export component was $216 billion – 80% of Mexico’s total exports and 4.5 times more than the total at NAFTA’s implementation in 1994. She went on to note that “NAFTA lays a strong foundation for more than trade — this relationship will help us both weather the difficult economic season ahead.” Read More →

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Feb 26

Safety & Security: The Impact on Cross-Border Trade - BTA Conference Mexico City

Published by Policy.
in Advocacy, Import & Export, Travel & Immigration. 0 Comments

On Tuesday, February 24, 2009, in Mexico City - the Border Trade Alliance, in partnership with industry event heavyweight MexicoNow, hosted a landmark conference, aimed at finding solutions to public safety issues with respect to North American cross-border trade in the wake of the war against crime in Mexico.Serving as launching pad for furthered cooperation between the NAFTA countries on emerging public saftey and security issues, the conference brought cross-border trade stakeholders together with key private and public sector decision-makers, to present best-practices, testimonies, and key policy announcements that move towards finding solutions to critical issues.

The following is a brief summary of the event with links to videos, presentations, and transcripts from this important event.  BTA would like to thank the speakers and participants involved in making this event an extraordinary success.

Keynote: Secretary of the Interior for Mexico, Fernando Gomez Mont

Secretary Gomez Mont - BTA Conference Mexico 2009

 Secretary Fernando Gomez Mont

Secretary of the Interior for Mexico, Fernando Gomez Mont - the most powerful political figure after the president and the equivalent of a vice president and domestic security chief combined - whose agency oversees the fight against the nation’s drug cartels and corruption, delivered one of the conference keynotes and hosted an open Q & A for conference attendees.  In his impressive speech, the Secretary “reinforced” it’s commitment to eliminating organized crime and restoring public saftey for the future economic prosperity of Mexico and it’s neighbors, outlining domestic policies, strategies for collaboration at all levels of government, and the need for mutually beneficial international cooperation.

Watch video of the Secretary’s presentation/Q & A, or read a transcript in English and Spanish…

Keynote: Ms. Leslie A. Bassett, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, U.S. Embassy in Mexico

Ambassador at BTA Mexico city Conf. 2009

Leslie A. Bassett, Chargé d'Affaires ad Interim, U.S. Embassy in MX

Also featured at the event was keynote speaker Ms. Leslie A. Bassett, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim (Interim Ambassador to Mexico), American Embassy in Mexico. In her speech Ms. Basset reitterated the large successes of cross-border trade under NAFTA:  $1 billion in goods and services and 1 million people legally cross the US-Mexico border every day and two-way trade in 2008 stood at $367 billion.  She also confirmed U.S. commitment to addressing public saftey and assisting Mexico in it’s war against narco-trafficking, through the Merida initiative, while discussing successful BTA led efforts to improve infrastructure and increase resources at our land ports of entry that will make our borders smarter, more efficient, more secure to better facilitate the movement of goods and people in the 21st century.

Watch video of Ms. Leslie A. Bassett, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim’s presentation/Q & A, or read a transcript in English…

Senator Gustavo Enrique Madero Muñoz, President, Mexican Senate, addressed legislative, and international cooperation necessary to continue moving forward towards shared economic prosperity and safety.

Senator Luis Alberto Villarreal Garcia, President of the Senate’s North American Foreign Relations Committee, presented a detailed strategy for moving towards a more efficient and secure border.

PresentacióN Final Seguridad Y Fronteras

The following is the conference agenda. Speaker Presentations that were made available for distribution are available here or in the following slideshare window below:

Security: Roads & Rails Panel

Moderator: Eduardo Aspero, President, AMTI

Panelists:
James Kniestedt,Vice President for Security, KCSM
John Baird, General Manager, Freightwatch Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

Moderator:

Al Zapanta, President & CEO, US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
Panelists: Mario A. Sanchez Montemayor, President, Nuevo Laredo Custom Brokers Association
Anne Crews, VP Government Relations, Mary Kay, Inc.
Lucinda Vargas, General Director, Juarez Strategic Plan Association

Security: Border Gateways
Moderator:

Hon. Richard F. Cortez, Mayor, City of McAllen, TX

Invited Panelists:

Hon. Octavio Garcia-Von Borstel, Mayor, City of Nogales, AZ
Hon. Oscar Luebbert Gutierrez, Mayor, Reynosa, Tamaulipas
Hon. Erick Silva Santos, Mayor, Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Hon. Ramon Garza Barrios, Mayor, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas
Hon. C. Jorge Ramos Hernandez, Mayor, Tijuana, Baja California

Security: Sonora State Actions and Results in Security
Speaker:

Remigio Martinez Cantu, Security and Technology Coordinator, State of Sonora

Security: Law Enforcement
Speaker:

William D. Newell, Special Agent in Charge, ATF

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Feb 16

$720m in Border Trade Infrastructure Funding in Economic Stimulus Bill

Published by Policy.
in Advocacy, Legislation. 2 Comments
Port Congestion Photo
Photo: Arizona Border Infrastructure Project
New Federal Attention in Addressing Trade and Travel Bottlenecks Will Help Support Millions of Jobs

In a move that will provide wide spread economic benefits by preparing our nation’s ports to meet the trade and security demands of the 21st century, the House and Senate included $720 million for infrastructure upgrades at U.S. land border ports of entry in the final conference agreement on the economic stimulus bill.

Border Trade Alliance, the organization that led the successful bi-partisan congressional effort to include border infrastructure funding in the stimulus, applauds congress for taking an important step in addressing the historic underinvestment at our nation’s port of entry.

According to President Obama and Speaker Pelosi, the key measurement for success of the economic stimulus is creating or saving 4 million jobs in the next year. Updating border ports infrastructure will not only help sustain jobs - 7.1 million jobs are generated by U.S.-Canadian trade alone - but will help to mitigate massive output losses resulting from nation-wide border congestion, which cost the US 55,675 jobs at California land ports in 2007.

The economic impact of investment at our nations’s POEs will not be confined to the border. In 2007, cross-border trade at U.S. land ports supported 3/4 of a trillion dollars in North American economic activity, which contributed more than $363 billion, over 2.5% of GDP, directly to our national economy. Additionally, 34 non-border states listed Canada, Mexico or both as their top two export markets, with many U.S. communities deriving a significant part of their local GDP from exports: Peoria, IL (52.3 percent, $9.2 billion); Davenport, IA (20.6 percent, $3.4 billion); and Cincinnati, OH (14.7 percent, $12.7 billion) are a few of the many specific examples.

Finally addressing the massive shortfall in POEs funding will begin to help reduce cross-border trade bottlenecks, resulting from overburdened and outdated infrastructure, that has added millions to the cost of doing business for manufacturers, transportation firms, and small businesses. Which in turn, will eventually help to lower the cost of goods for U.S. consumers and provide much needed increases in state and local sales tax revenue.


“Investment in cross-border trade and the infrastructure that supports it is a direct investment in the health of our national economy,” said Maria Luisa O’Connell, President of the Border Trade Alliance.  

Of the $720 million in total funding, $300 million will go to GSA for land port of entry infrastructure upgrades “not less than $300 million shall be available for border stations and land ports of entry” and $420 million for CBP “solely for planning, management, design, alteration, and construction of U.S. Customs and Border Protection owned land border ports of entry.”

Download the PDF Release: $720m in Economic Stimulus

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