NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — In Nogales, Arizona they understand something often lost in all the discussion of people crossing the border: That’s the positive value of being next to Mexico with all the cargo that comes across. In Nogales alone about 400 thousand trucks per year bring in millions of dollars worth of products you use and food that you eat.
At Chamberlain Distributing workers waste no time moving fresh food off trucks coming from Mexico or onto other trucks that could move it all over the United States.
On this day at the border, it’s corn, but on other days it could be fresh tomatoes, squash, grapes— it’s really a menu too long to list.
“We're very, very fortunate to be on the border here.,” says Jaime Chamberlain of Chamberlain Distributing.
Chamberlain says cross border produce has been a booming business for a hundred years and his family’s been in it for more than fifty.
“Over $30 billion worth of cross border business is done here in Nogales between manufactured goods and fruits and vegetables. Over $11 million a day is spent in the state of Arizona through Mexican nationals crossing our ports of entry every single day. That's an incredible number and an incredible economic generator that we have.”
The trucks also bring in goods manufactured in Mexico. Companies from the U.S. and the rest of the world use factories in Mexico to build cars, electronics, medical devices and other products. Businesses on the U.S. side provide components and expertise.
Better stability and shorter supply chains have helped Mexico replace China as our number one trade partner.
We came to Nogales on a quiet weekday. On weekends Morley Avenue is busy with Mexican shoppers enjoying more variety and better bargains on the Arizona side of the border. A pedestrian gate makes it easy to bag up bargains and head home to Mexico. Right now a strong Peso helps their money go farther.
But surges of immigrants can choke off the commerce.
Jaime Chamberlain is a leader onthe local port authority. He says when Homeland Security takes inspectors off the ports to process migrants it interferes with fast, efficient inspections that speed up cargo, and stop illegal drugs.
“Our legal commerce is being hindered by DHS and the White House. Isn't that the administration's decision to pull these people away from our ports of entry? And for us as business men and women. We need that security. We need our ports of entry to be as efficient as possible. We need them to be staffed correctly and we need them to be funded correctly.”
And he says that will protect business so valuable, it’s a matter of national security.