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| Twenty five years of border advocacy |
BTA Celebrates 25th Anniversary
The Border Trade Alliance in 2011 is celebrating its 25th anniversary of working to advance trade and commerce throughout North America.
On January 28, 1986, groups from all along the U.S.-Mexico border came together at the Paso del Norte Hotel in El Paso to form an informal association known as the Border Trade Alliance.
That loose affiliation of border stakeholders is now the premier
 organization representing the trade communities of the northern and southern borders.
In the early 90s the BTA was one of the leading advocates for passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the BTA's insight was sought after by Congress and the administration as the Department of Homeland Security began to take shape. Today we continue to be called on by federal agencies and lawmakers who have come to count on and trust our opinion on border affairs.
"The work and influence of the BTA can be seen in the policies that we see on the border today," BTA Chair Sam Vale said. "We have many frustrations over the way cross-border trade and travel is managed, but I know that without the BTA our borders would be lacking an important voice and advocate before policymakers. I'm very proud of all we've accomplished and I'm looking forward to the next 25 years."
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| 2011 Policy Overview |
BTA Sets Out Policy Agenda
 The BTA's policy committees are in full swing analyzing the issues that make up the BTA's policy agenda.
Here's a brief look at just a few of the issues we're watching:
Public Policy Committee: This committee is overseeing advocacy for the implementation of the strategy paper, A Call to Action: Saving U.S.-Mexico Trade, which makes several policy recommendations for preserving healthy cross-border trade between the United States and Mexico in the face of growing drug cartel violence.
Security and Trade Committee: This committee's C-TPAT Subcommittee is working to advance the goals of the BTA paper, C-TPAT: Seven Years Later, which outlines policy recommendations for Customs and Border Protection to make C-TPAT membership more attractive to the trade community while strengthening supply chain security.
 Transportation Committee: This committee is focused on ensuring that key programs critical to border region mobility and trade efficiency remain in tact as their own dedicated funding streams in the next highway authorization.
The committee is also directing the BTA's advocacy for a resolution to the impasse between the U.S. and Mexico over cross-border trucking. The committee recently responded to the Department of Transportation's concept paper, which outlines in broad strokes DOT's plans to comply with NAFTA's trucking provisions. A formal public comment period is forthcoming.
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| Cross-border trucking |
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BTA Issues Comments on DOT Trucking Concept Paper
The BTA has long been supportive of opening the U.S.-Mexico border to Mexican long-haul trucks as called for by the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The U.S.' failure to abide by the NAFTA trucking articles has resulted in Mexico slapping retaliatory tariffs on 99 U.S. goods bound for that country to the tune of $2 billion in commercial losses.
 In an attempt to reach a resolution to the trucking impasse, the U.S. Department of Transportation recently released a concept paper ahead of a forthcoming public comment period that sets out some guideposts for establishing a cross-border trucking program.
In a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood reacting to the paper, the BTA under the auspices of the Transportation Committee reminded the department as it goes about drafting the program's rules that "a 'cookie cutter' approach to implementing a cross-border trucking program will not work at all ports of entry on our southern border with Mexico."
The BTA stands ready to offer its guidance to the DOT on how to best establish a pilot trucking program and the organization will seek a seat on an advisory committee charged with advising the secretary on the program's implementation.
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About the Border Trade Alliance
Founded in 1986, the Border Trade Alliance (BTA) is a grassroots, non-profit organization that serves as a forum for participants to address key issues affecting trade and economic development in North America. Working with entities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the BTA advocates on behalf of policies and initiatives designed to improve border affairs and trade relations among the three nations.
Our mission is to initiate, monitor and influence public policy and private sector initiatives for the facilitation of international trade and commerce through advocacy, education, issue development, research and analysis, and strategic planning.
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| Seen and Heard |
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SBInet and technology's future role in border security
The BTA has long advocated for the use of technology as a means to securing our borders as part of a recognition that governments will never have the human resources necessary to secure the entire U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico land borders. Also, disproportionate attention paid to the security between the land border ports of entry results in a disparity of resources directed to the ports, where more staff, technology and improved infrastructure provides both an economic benefit and increased security.
We were disappointed that DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano recently chose to end the SBInet border security program that was initially deployed in southern Arizona. We are heartened, however, that the program's most promising elements will likely play a role in the next generation border security program proposed by the Obama administration.
Homeland Security Today recently gave an in-depth look at SBinet and featured the BTA's opinion on the program. In addition, BTA President Nelson Balido penned a column for the publication that provided his perspective on the program following a recent visit by a BTA delegation to Border Patrol's Tucson sector headquarters.
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| Quick Links |
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| Staff contacts |
| Nelson Balido
President
Policy and Communications
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