TAB Joins Binational Organizations in Urging Biden, Obrador Administrations to Address Border Security Crisis Impacting Cross-Border Commerce

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Today, the Texas Association of Business (TAB) joined a coalition of binational organizations led by the Border Trade Alliance (BTA) in writing a joint letter to U.S. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador urging their respective administrations to work together immediately to address the ongoing security crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, which is impacting the flow of legitimate and legal trade between our two nations.

In the letter, TAB and the coalition of organizations that span from San Diego, California to Brownsville, Texas - and beyond - write:

“Absent federal solutions and greater cooperation between your two administrations that results in a dramatic reduction in asylum seekers arriving at our shared border, our communities and the businesses whose survival depends on a well-managed border will continue to pay a stiff price and the entire North American region could suffer severe economic harm."

After sending the letter, TAB President & CEO Glenn Hamer issued the following statement:

“USMCA has made North America the globe’s strongest trade bloc, with Texas serving as its centerpiece. Together with our partners in Mexico and Canada, we are spearheading nearshoring efforts and making significant advances in sectors like semiconductor manufacturing, next-generation automotives, and agriculture.

“We celebrate that the U.S. and Mexico are each other’s no. 1 trading partner, but we can’t take that for granted. If the two countries fail to address irregular immigration and illegal trafficking, then the trading relationship will degrade, and with it, our region's global economic competitiveness.

“Our coalition is urging the two administrations to do all they can to expedite legal trade. That means stemming the tide of undocumented migrants with dubious asylum claims, not closing our land border ports of entry, and not shifting staff resources to process asylum claims in between ports of entry, which should not be occurring in the first place and only leads to more congestion and delays."

“There is much to be done to make our border more secure and business-friendly. If the U.S. and Mexican administrations fail to act, the Texas, U.S., and broader North American economies are at risk."

The following organizations from the U.S. and Mexico are signatories to the letter to the Biden and Obrador administrations:

• Border Trade Alliance 

• Texas Association of Business 

• Confederación de Cámaras Industriales de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos 

• Asociación Nacional de Transporte Privado 

• Border Pacific Railroad 

• BTA Alianza del Comercio Fronterizo México 

• Cámara de la Industria de Transformación de Nuevo León 

• Cámara Nacional de Industriales de la Leche 

• Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Conservas Alimenticias 

• Cámara Nacional de Manufacturas Eléctricas 

• Cámara Nacional de la Industria Textil 

• Cámara Nacional del Autotransporte de Carga 

• Cámara Nacional del Cemento 

• Cámara Minera de México 

• City of Brownsville 

• El Paso Chamber of Commerce 

• Engineered Transportation International 

• Fresh Produce Association of the Americas 

• International Bank of Commerce 

• Laredo Chamber of Commerce

• Laredo Economic Development Corporation 

• Laredo Motor Carriers Association 

• North American Strategy for Competitiveness (NASCO)

• Rio Grande Valley Partnership 

• San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce 

• Sunland Park, New Mexico Mayor Javier Perea 

• Texas International Produce Association 

• Texas Regional Bank 

• Texas Trucking Association

To read the full letter, please click here.

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