Arizona is caught in the middle as President Donald Trump tries to limit foreign trade with Mexico while the state tries to boost cross border business.
Chamberlain, and others with businesses that depend on Mexico, worry that efforts by Arizona to build trade ties will be harmed as the U.S-Mexico relationship deteriorates.
“It takes decades and decades to gain that trust, and it just bothers me the way things are said when we really should not be treating our southern and northern neighbors this way,” Chamberlain said.
“I’ve seen a lot of policy shifts in my day … and what I will say is free trade works,” said Marco Garay, executive director of the Arizona-Mexico Commission.
In 2015, Arizona exported $9.2 billion in goods to Mexico. Mexican visitors spend about $7 million in Arizona daily, according to the Arizona-Mexico Commission, a nonpartisan trade advocacy organization.
source: ktar.com
