Camunez: "U.S. Mexico Border is Important to America's Economic Competitiveness"

Today NDN/NPI hosted a panel discussion on the current state of the economic relationship between the US and Mexico with Michael C. Camunez, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance, D. Rick Van Schoik, Director, North American Center for Transborder Studies and Simon Rosenberg, President,NDN and NPI. At the core of the discussion was the the findings of the NPI's major new report on cross border trade with Mexico.

For video from the event as well as a spreecast with the writers of the report please see below.

Event - Realizing the Value of our Cross Border Trade with Mexico Feat. Michael Camunez
Spreecast - Value of Cross Border Trade with Mexico.
Report - Realizing the Value  of our Cross Border Trade with Mexico

Rick Van Schoik noted that there has been great improvements between the Ports of Entry what must now occur is more staffing at the ports of entry to increase competitiveness domestically:

"Trade and tourism have suffered across the United States - Mexico Border as well as at the United States Canada border as most investment has been made BETWEEN ports of entry rather than AT the places where prosperity and productivity matters.  In terms of staffing, infrastructure, and technology, the rhetoric of safety has warped the reality, which is that the region is safe now lets find a way to invest in the gateways to North American competitiveness with each other and worldwide. DHS and the administration have led on this, now lets get the funding to make an even stronger economy domestically"

Assistant Secretary Camunez noted that with the complementary nature of our economies, most small businesses in this country only trade to one of two countries, Canada or Mexxico. If the United States is going to continue to grow its manufacturing base, our country will have to continue to increase its levels of trade with Mexico:

"We have a highly integrated economy with Mexico, with high level of co-production, with industry on both sides of the border. Our interest is to grow jobs, and to grow our manufacturing base as the President mentioned in his state of the union, then we have to make sure our manufacturers can compete.... "