U.S., Mexico Pledge Work to Improve Borders

Excerpt from: Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade | March 1, 2016

Following the most recent meeting of the U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue Feb. 25, the two sides issued a joint statement outlining a number of priorities for 2016, including work on modernizing their shared border.

► To help reduce the costs of trade, both customs administrations will continue the implementation of single cargo manifests in the rail, air and maritime modes of transportation and initiate the development and implementation of the truck single manifest.

► A third cargo pre-inspection pilot will be inaugurated in San Jerónimo, Chihuahua. Pilots are already operational at the Laredo International Airport and the Mesa de Otay, Baja California customs facilities.

► There will be continued cooperation on the design of the new Otay II-Otay Mesa East port of entry, which aims to be the port of entry of the future and a new paradigm for binational planning.

► The two countries will jointly promote and expand enrollment in trusted traveler programs and work with partners in Canada to implement the North American Trusted Traveler framework agreed to in July 2015.

► To ease trade-related transportation across borders, the U.S. and Mexico will work toward mutual recognition of commercial and federal driver’s licenses and commercial truck inspection standards.

► Using interoperable asset mapping tools, the U.S. will work with Mexico to map industrial, manufacturing and financial communities to help make smart decisions about exports, imports and investments. In 2015 the Mexico-United States Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council created maps that identify geographic concentrations of interconnected companies, suppliers, service providers and associated institutions that are present in the U.S. and Mexico.

Photo Soruce: cbp.gov