“Efficient trade causes less traffic,” says Andrew L. Carranco, Chair of the Government Affairs Committee for the Laredo Chamber of Commerce and principal coordinator for the letter. “In our trip to Washington D.C., we as a community needed to speak with the Mexican Embassy to explain our exasperation. More importantly though, we had to present solutions.” 

During the annual legislative trip, six organizations met with the Mexican Embassy. They were warmly received and invited to submit a  letter outlining their grievances and proposed solutions. “We were impressed with the Embassy’s open and frank dialogue. We felt heard, and with the invitation to author a solution, we were ecstatic,” says Monica Y. Martinez, Laredo Chamber of Commerce Executive Director.

The letter outlines four long and short-term solutions to the crashes that we agreed upon by the 6 groups who signed the letter. These solutions vary from local policy changes to national legislative amendments.

“The importance of dialoguing with our Mexican counterparts at the international diplomatic level cannot be understated. As a business community, we unified under a single note to offer solutions to a problem that affects both our great nations,” says Carranco. “There are not many places in the world where you see such unity between such a diverse group of organizations and two nations.”

“It was a team effort, with each organization carefully crafting the language to fit the needs of our community,” says Martinez.

Follow up is expected in the coming weeks with the business community. For more information, check the Laredo Chamber of Commerce website.

The signers, authors, and organizations involved in the letter are Andrew L. Carranco, Laredo Chamber of Commerce, L. Adrian Zapata, Laredo Chamber of Commerce, J.D. Gonzalez, National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, Inc., Robert Morris, Laredo Licensed U.S. Customs Brokers Association, Gene Lindgren, Laredo Economic Development Corporation, Gerardo Maldonado, Laredo Motor Carriers Association, Tiffany Melvin, North American Strategy For Competitiveness Organization, and Iñaki Zaragoza, Association of Laredo Forwarding Agents.

Founded in 1915, the Laredo Chamber of Commerce stands as the longest-running business organization in Laredo and Webb County. Representing approximately 675 local businesses, it has earned the prestigious distinction of five stars from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—an accreditation representing the highest level of recognition. This top-tier accreditation is a rarity, as only a very small percentage of the approximately 7,000 chambers in the United States achieve this honor.