Many found themselves in limbo this week after President Donald Trump issued an executive order temporarily halting the acceptance of refugees to the U.S. and barring travelers from seven predominately Muslim countries.
Alex Braithwaite of the University of Arizona School of Government and Public Policy talks about the refugees who might be affected by the ban and what drives people to leave their countries in search of a better life.
The reaction to Trump’s proposal for a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports is one of much emotion in the community of Nogales, Arizona, and its counterpart across the border in Sonora. The population on the U.S. side is about 24,000, and it’s estimated that a quarter of those work in the produce industry, which distributes fruits and vegetables grown in Mexico throughout the U.S.
The fresh produce industry contributes more than $40 million to state and local economies, according to the Fresh Produce Association. Arizona Week sat down with longtime distributor Jaime Chamberlain, who said border trade is critical to the health and wealth of the U.S.
Mexico was the third largest supplier of goods imports to the U.S. in 2015, and its second largest export market. On a local level, a reported 660,000 commercial trucks cross the Mariposa port of entry in Nogales every year. Approximately 21 million people cross one of the three ports of entry in that city, and the vehicle number is an estimated 7 million every year.
Broker and Nogales Port Authority Chairman Guillermo Valencia spoke with Arizona Week about the impact potential disruptions to the existing policies between the U.S. and Mexico would have on Nogales.
And the changes have already started to show, since Trump took office. After the announcement of an executive order to expand the border wall, the number of Mexicans visiting the U.S. has decreased.
On the program
- Alex Braithwaite of the University of Arizona School of Government and Public Policy
- Nogales produce distributor Jaime Chamberlain
- Fresh Produce Association President Lance Youngmeyer
- Visit Tucson’s Felipe Garcia
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