/ Modified jul 22, 2013 4:44 p.m.

Border Mayors Talk Immigration, Cross-Border Economics

Members of the Arizona-Sonora Border Mayors Coalition discuss future plans for their towns.

As the nation’s lawmakers debate immigration reform in Washington D.C., mayors from Arizona and Sonora are talking about what what is and isn't working regarding issues of border security, economics, and culture.

At the Arizona-Sonora Border Mayors conference in Naco, Ariz., Adriana Badal, Bisbee’s mayor, said she wants to keep an open dialogue between communities on both sides of the border to increase tourism and business. But, the main problem for these border towns, she said, is misconception.

“A lot of folks who don’t know this region...hear there is need for border security and think it’s not secure,” Badal said. “They don’t want to come visit, they don’t move here and that’s a concern for us because in our opinion it’s a very safe region.”

Immigration reform proposals call for an increase in U.S. Border Patrol troops, and more money for border security, but Badal said there is no need for that.

“What we need is money,” she said. Particularly funding for infrastructure near the international ports of entry.

Border mayors want to form a tourism cluster that includes Cananea and Naco on the Mexican side and Bisbee and Tombstone on the U.S. side.

“We are building a four-lane highway from Cananea to Agua Prieta,” said Francisco Javier Tarazon Curlango, mayor of Cananea in Sonora, Mexico. “That will be the easiest way to access Cananea from Arizona.”

The Mexican government’s interest in funding infrastructure near the border will benefit binational commuters, he said.

The Arizona Sonora Border Mayors Coalition meets regularly in cities on both sides of the international border.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona