Mexico’s Ministry of Economy has requested the government of Texas, United States, to withdraw inspections of cargo transportation near the border crossing between the city of Matamoros in Mexico and Brownsville in Texas, due to the “losses in the millions” that this measure is causing to both countries.
Through a press release, the Ministry of Economy announced that the Mexican government will bring this matter before the Trade Facilitation Committee of the Agreement between Mexico, the United States, and Canada (T-MEC).
According to the Ministry of Economy, the additional inspections, different from those carried out by federal authorities, are generating delays of between 8 and 27 hours, resulting in losses of up to one billion dollars for both Mexican and US companies.
In the press release, the Secretary pointed out that these actions are motivated by an anti-Mexican stance that does not promote social, cultural, and economic integration between Mexico and Texas.
In addition, it highlighted that Mexico is Texas’ main trading partner, and this relationship represents an annual average of 23 billion dollars.
The Ministry of Economy has initiated a “constructive dialogue” with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in order to find a solution to this problem, which, they emphasized, is caused by a sub-national authority.