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Jul 25
The governing idea behind [cref nafta-for-dummies NAFTA] is to remove trade restrictions so as to encourage the free-flow of goods and services across the North American continent. Along the U.S. – Mexican border, however, the reality is that the ground transportation of such goods remains highly congested and drawn out. Long-haul trucks from Mexico are restricted from operating in the U.S. except within designated commercial zones located in border-cities such as San Diego, El Paso and Brownsville. At these sites, the contents of a truck must be unloaded and transferred onto a domestic carrier in order to continue to their final destination. Authorities estimate that this obvious kink in the supply chain costs U.S. consumers $400 million a year.
In September 2007, the Department of Transportation (DOT) began a year-long pilot program to address this theoretically preventable inefficiency. It allowed certified Mexican freight companies to operate certain vehicles on U.S. highways under the same terms and restrictions as U.S. trucks. The implementation of the experimental program came about as a belated response to a 2001 ruling by a NAFTA dispute resolution panel, which stated that a blanket ban on Mexican trucks coming into the U.S. caused Washington to be in violation of its treaty obligations to not impede trade. Despite that ruling, the ban has remained in effect since then due to protracted litigation and political roadblocks. Driving the opposition are the Teamsters and the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, which fear losing more blue-collar domestic jobs to foreign workers. Such parties make the case that Mexican truckers pose a threat to U.S. motorists, claiming that they are not subject to the same safety, licensing, and insurance standards as domestic carriers.
This argument appears unfounded. In fact, every Mexican truck involved in the program must meet the rigorous safety and insurance requirements established by Congress in order to be allowed equal access to U.S. roads. Although the drafting of these regulations may originally have been an attempt by lawmakers to delay the implementation of the pilot program, such measures seem to have worked to ensure adequate safety standards thus far: transportation authorities estimate that, as of June 2008, 18,000 Mexican trucks have traveled on U.S. roads as part of the program, without serious incident. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters has gone so far as to claim that [cref ooida-continuing-to-misrepresent-the-facts-about-cross-border-trucking the safety records of Mexican trucks in fact are better than their American counterparts.]
Perhaps dissenters on the issue would be wiser to ally themselves with Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), who argues that opening the border to Mexican long-hauls makes it easier to smuggle drugs and humans into the U.S. This position, however, seems more of a red-herring designed to hamper free trade, than a legitimate concern. The trucks involved in the program all originate from reputable Mexican freight companies, are subject to heightened scrutiny by border officials, and are monitored by GPS devices for the duration of their trip. In the meantime, Hunter and his allies will have to wait for evidence, if any, to corroborate their claim, because statistics regarding increased drug and human trafficking as a result of the pilot program will not be available until long after it expires.
The pilot program is scheduled to end in early September, yet its opponents do not seem contented by its approaching expiry. Some members in Congress are taking measures to ensure that such a program will never again return. On July 11, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted 20-9 for an amendment that would cut the funding necessary to extend the current program, or implement a similar one in the future. If approved by Congress, the Dorgan amendment, named after Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), would take effect in October of this year. Such an amendment would, as a practical matter, end congressional and executive attempts to encourage free truck passage into the U.S., as was dictated by the NAFTA dispute resolution panel ruling.
If Congress fails to come to any sort of binding consensus on the issue, the decision regarding the future of cross-border trucking may end up being made by the executive branch. President Bush has supported opening the borders to 18-wheelers throughout the debate, and his administration may move to promulgate legislation to that end before its tenure runs out. Senator McCain also has spoken in favor of open borders. Meanwhile, Senator Obama has opposed the pilot program. Until the border is opened to truckers from both sides, the U.S. essentially will remain in limbo regarding its obligations under NAFTA. Proponents of free trade like to remind domestic truckers that they too stand to benefit from cross border trucking, as they would be allowed to operate within Mexico on the basis of reciprocity. In fact, more than twice as many U.S. truckers have exercised their extended privileges during the pilot program in comparison to their Mexican counterparts.
Founded in 1975, the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA), a nonprofit, tax-exempt independent research and information organization, was established to promote the common interests of the hemisphere, raise the visibility of regional affairs and increase the importance of the inter-American relationship, as well as encourage the formulation of rational and constructive U.S. policies towards Latin America. It has been described on the Senate floor as being “one of the nation’s most respected bodies of scholars and policy makers.”Visit their webpage at www.coha.org or contact them at coha@coha.org
Our thanks to Chris Sweeney for his kind permission to use his research article on our site. Once again, our views, opinions and facts presented on Mexico Trucker have been validated by a well respected institution.
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You Mexicans need to stay on your side of the border period …. 99 % of us up here in the states want nothing to do with trucking in your country … This NAFTA thing is only good for MEXICO n not good for us here in America and we want no part of it !!! Hopefully it will be over with in Sept and then we need to round up all your illeagal’s n deport them to the other side of that electrified fence that your on !!! America is for American’s PUNTA !!!!
Another interesting comment demonstrating the intelligence of the opposition.
On this site, I offer proof of everything I present. Can you do the same?
Who is this “99% of us up here in the States”? 99% of your family or your group of friends if you have any? Or is that an opinion you throw around without proof?
America has a population of over 300,000,000. There are 11,000,000 CDL holders. During the comment period, only 2300 comments were offered concerning the Cross Border Program. The majority of them copied talking points. OOIDA has 165,000 members. On there pages, a Call to Action asking their members to pass their incorrect propagando to all the people in the address books. 10 people responded, mostly OOIDA employees like Norita Taylor and Rod Nofzinger.
The Teamsters represent 140,000 truckers out of their membership of 1.4 million.
These number do not represent a majority of Americans. Even someone with a third grade home schooled education could tell you that.
NAFTA has been good for all three countries involved. Good and bad, but overall, it has benefited all three participants. These facts are freely available anywhere you care to look. Get over it!
There are no electric fences on the border, nor will there be nor should there be! If you want to fence the border, fence the northern border also!
America is for everyone. But if you are the typical American, it makes me ashamed to be an American. Which I am. I am not Mexican although I consider it a compliment that you would think that way.
Research the issue, learn to spell and punctuate your sentences properly and then come back and we will continue this discussion.
But get your facts straight!
As an American, I support this move of my congress; I just wish they would do more of the same. In these days of hard times, Americans need jobs and a sense of security.
Illegals have depressed our economy by taking advantage of our health care services, social services, and have severely impacted our judicial and correctional institutions, and this must be stopped. To do so is a simple matter, just implement the laws we already have against both these criminal invaders, as well as those who aid them, with housing and employment.
President Eisenhower and the border patrol accomplished a great deal in 1953 with Operation Wetback. In that operation, with only 1075 border agents, and none of the high-tech equipment we have today, eliminated an estimated three million illegals from our borders, sending them deep down to the southern most parts of Mexico, and or South America, with just the cloths on their backs.
We must implement Operation Wetback again, and demand that the congress implement the same immigration laws as Mexico has and enforce them to the letter, as well as stop prosecuting land owners who protect their property from these criminal invaders with firearms. And we must get that bonehead in the White House to give Ramos and Campean full pardons, as well as compensation for the way our government has criminally treated them.
GOD BLESS AND SAVE THE REPUBLIC.
DEATH TO THE NEW WORLD ORDER.
As an American, I oppose what Congress is trying to do because it is for all the wrong reasons and their actions are based on verifiable lies.
American’s have jobs. Those American’s that want jobs are working. Their sense of security is gained and maintained by doing their jobs to the best of their ability.
You make the comment about illegals depressing the economy. In some sectors, perhaps, but overall, the give our economy and tax base a net gain. Whether working under a false Social Security number or whatever, they pay into the tax and Social Security system and receive little in return. They pay sales taxes on food and durable goods they purchase. The rent they pay goes to pay property taxes on the houses they rent.
There is no evidence that they have depressed our economy by taking advantage of health care and social services. To begin with, they are not eligible for food stamps, welfare or other benefits that Americans’ seem to take advantage of, some, cradle to grave. To the contrary, there are studies suggesting that illegals only avail themselves of emergency health care in times of extreme emergencies.
Furthermore, statistics proves that immigrants, legal or otherwise, commit fewer crimes resulting in incarceration than the population at large. I could provide links to these studies once again but since they run contrary to your manner of thinking, it would be a waste of my time.
You’re right about Operation Wetback, but that was another time and another era. The shame of this country against the Mexican’s is our continually inviting them into this country when we need their labor, and booting them out when times are hard. This has happened since the 40′s when the Bracero Agreements were in place. It continues today.
Look at Arizona which passed Prop 100,200,300 last year. Now, they are seeing the mass exodus of migrants, both legal and illegal, and feeling the effect. Business’s closing their doors because there are no American’s willing to do the jobs the Mexican’s were doing, for any wage.
No, what we need is a common sense approach to our broken immigration system, and to turn a deaf ear to those who fight against any form of immigration. If it takes some form of amnesty, so be it. Cull out the criminals and deport their asses, without regard to nationality. The ones who have worked here, perhaps built a family and kept their nose clean, give them some form of legality.
And as far as Ramos and Compean are concerned; These are two felons who broke the law, broke their oath to the Border PAtrol and to the United States and are exactly where they belong. They made a conscience choice to do what they did, and now they are paying the price. They have been well compensated for their time behind bars, to the tune of almost $250,000 tax free dollars collected from bleeding heart righties who have fallen for the bullshit appeals of daddy in law Loya and the rest of the loony toons who jumped on the bandwagon.