December 17, 2018

With the recent lane and port closures, border wait times have discouraged trade and travel adversely impacting our regional economy both in the short and long term.

The economies on each side of the border are inextricably linked. We produce together, have a shared workforce, and have families on both sides of the border. The commercial exchange between Tijuana and San Diego is valued at $2.1 million per day, and the San Ysidro Port of Entry alone experiences over 70,000 vehicle and 25,000 pedestrian crossings into the U.S. daily. With an integrated manufacturing supply chain worth $2.5 billion, the Cali Baja region critically depends on its cross-border connectivity and efficient movement of goods which accounts for a gross regional product of $255 billion.

Communicating the importance of our border region and maintaining our border open is paramount. See below a list of media interviews with the Chamber:

• The New York Times – ‘A Critical Time’: Border Businesses Jolted by $5.3 Million Loss in Crossing Shutdown
• BBC – 12/09/2018 Migrant Caravan & the Border Closure
• The San Diego Union-Tribune – If Trump closes the border, regional economy could suffer ‘catastrophic losses’
• The San Diego Union-Tribune – How another U.S.-Mexico border shutdown could hurt a multi-billion dollar economy
• The San Diego Union-Tribune – 5 views on the migrant caravan crisis that might change your mind about it
• The Los Angeles Times – Trump threatens to shut the Mexico border. California companies say that would create chaos
• Bloomberg – Border Shutdowns Could Cost Billions, San Diego Chamber Warns
• The Washington Post – U.S. border officials prepare for additional confrontations with migrants, port closures
• National Public Radio – Temporary Shutdown Of U.S.-Mexico Border Had Large Economic Impact For Businesses
• Politico – Border backup plan
• MSN – What closing the US-Mexico border would cost
• Univision – Fusion, U.S. Cable
• KPBS – How Shutting Down San Ysidro Border Crossing Impacts Region’s Economy
• KUSI-SD  – KUSI News at Ten
• Courthouse News Service – Border Closure Caused Millions in Economic Losses, Troubling Businesses
• La Prensa, San Diego – Millions Lost in San Ysidro Due to Temporary Border Closure
• La Prensa, San Diego – Pérdidas Millonarias en San Ysidro por Cierre Temporal de la Frontera
• San Antonio Express-News – Trump’s border shutdown threat heard loud and clear in Rio Grande Valley