A group of border mayors who met in San Diego on Friday called for nontraditional financing, including public-private partnerships, to build badly needed border crossings in the face of limited federal funding. The Mexico Institute's Andrew Selee comments.
In closed-door meetings at the downtown Manchester Grand Hyatt, the participating mayors — five from Mexico and 12 from the United States — sought common ground on topics ranging from immigration to law enforcement to border crossings.
The group included the chairman — John Cook, mayor of El Paso — and Tijuana Mayor Carlos Bustamante, president of the Association of Mayors of Northern Mexico. Other cities represented included Ciudad Juárez, across from El Paso, and the Arizona border cities of Yuma, San Luis, Nogales and Douglas.
“I think we’re seeing the border mayors begin to consolidate themselves as an organization,” said Andrew Selee, vice president for programs of the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., and a senior advisor to its Mexico Institute. “They seem to be gaining strength, which is a positive sign.”
The Mexico Institute seeks to improve understanding, communication, and cooperation between Mexico and the United States by promoting original research, encouraging public discussion, and proposing policy options for enhancing the bilateral relationship. A binational Advisory Board, chaired by Luis Téllez and Earl Anthony Wayne, oversees the work of the Mexico Institute. Read more
