Eighty-five percent of goods traded between the US and Mexico are transported by truck or railway, according to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Two-way trade across the border totals $1.4 billion per day and takes place at 25 major ports of land entry between the US and Mexico.
Among these are 39 crossing points (high-volume locations such as Laredo, Brownsville, and Nogales have multiple crossing points), and 22 of them are open all day, every day.
Border crossing delays can cost billions of dollars in trade. In 2011, Bloomberg estimated that delays at the US-Mexico border cost the US economy up to $7.8 billion annually.
Mexico
Mexico figures as a prominent destination for US exports and ranks among the top three export destinations for 33 of the 50 US states. But, Mexico ranks as the top export destination for only four states.
It is no coincidence that these four states are along the US-Mexico border. The geographic proximity of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to the Mexican border heavily impacts these states’ economies and demographics… and politicians’ stances as they relate to national politics. These four state economies depend on trade with Mexico and account for a quarter of US GDP.
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