September 11, 2017

The Chamber attended a binational panel hosted by the National Albondigas Political Society (NAPS) on September 8. Paola Avila, on behalf of the Chamber, participated in a panel along with Denice Garcia, Director of International Affairs from the Office of Mayor Faulconer, and David Moreno, Secretary of Economic Development of Tijuana. They discussed relevant topics in the binational agenda including the challenges that a non-inclusive immigration program brings to the region, insight on border infrastructure and workforce development as areas of opportunity and binational collaboration.

“We are all beneficiaries of DACA” Paola Avila commented “the immigration population is a critical part of our workforce creating additional jobs, representing one-third of the workforce, and contributing 25% to GDP in San Diego. She also highlighted that deportees will face a 10-year waiting period to apply for a green card which altogether stresses out the need for congressional action now.

The City of Tijuana is preparing a contingency plan for dreamers who will be in need of assistance if they are unable to keep their migratory status. Moreno shared that the City of Tijuana is waiting to hear more about the specifics in the cancellation of DACA to determine how Tijuana will be affected by deportations. Garcia stated that Mayor Faulconer asked Congress to take action in time, with 30,000 to 40,000 local DACA recipients, it can potentially impact the state’s and local economy.