The first meeting of the US-Mexico Border Mayors Association since US President Donald Trump took office begins today as the stakes of debate in Washington could hardly be higher for the region of 12 million people stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump is moving ahead with plans to build a “big, beautiful wall” separating the two countries and add 5,000 Border Patrol agents, despite uncertainty about how much the US Congress will agree to pay. The US, Mexico and Canada are preparing to overhaul the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), one of Trump’s favorite punch bags
As with other border gatherings of mayors and governors, one challenge was getting enough elected officials to attend. This year’s hosts, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum ensure that two of the region’s largest cities are represented.
Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, will be there, as will McAllen, Texas. El Paso Mayor Dee Margo is not to attend because he will be in the state capital for meetings with the governor and legislators, spokeswoman Olivia Zepeda said.
Pete Saenz, mayor of Laredo, Texas, needed to tend to city affairs after two weeks of business travel, spokeswoman Blasita Lopez said.
Absent mayors from Mexico include the leaders of Mexicali, Nogales and Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros. Border mayors generally advocate for robust trade between the two countries and expanded international crossings to ease the flow of goods and people. They have given a cold shoulder to Trump’s wall.
Panels at the two-day gathering — the group’s fifth since 2011 — are to cover NAFTA, infrastructure, the state of US-Mexico relations, public health and urban development. The mayors are to work on a joint resolution on bilateral trade.
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