Laredo, Now No. 1 US Trade Hub, Braces For Trump’s Mexico Tariffs

Mexico recently surpassed China and Canada as America’s top trading partner, which helped catapult Laredo past Los Angeles to become the No. 1 port in the country.

By Reynaldo Leaños Jr.June 3, 2019 12:33 pm, , ,

From Texas Public Radio:

Residents, business owners and political leaders in Laredo, Texas are bracing for President Trump’s implementation of a 5% tariff on all goods coming from Mexico that would begin June 10.

The president said the tariff will gradually increase to 25% if Mexico doesn’t do more to stop the flow of illegal immigration into the U.S.

Ernesto Gaytan Jr. is the general manager of Super Transport International in Laredo, a company founded by his father almost 30 years ago in Mexico.

“Laredo exists because of its location and the closeness we have with Mexico,” he says.

Gaytan, wearing a black fitted suit in 90 degree Texas heat, toured his company’s operations field.

“This is where a lot of the transloads happen,” Gaytan says. “We move materials from a trailer coming in from the United States into Mexico. We transfer freight from a U.S. carrier to a Mexico carrier, or from a Mexican carrier to a U.S carrier.”

Mexico recently surpassed China and Canada as America’s top trading partner, which helped catapult Laredo past Los Angeles to become the No. 1 port in the country. About $20 billion worth of goods flowed through Laredo during the month of March —mostly automotive parts.

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