Leaders update AMC Summit attendees

The Arizona-Mexico Commission invited elected officials to its 60th Anniversary Summit last week to discuss issues regarding the Arizona-Mexico relationship.   

U.S. Senator Martha McSally discussed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the importance of effective infrastructure at the border.  

“I am a strong supporter of us ratifying and passing the USMCA. I look forward to a ‘yes’ vote in the United States Senate,” Sen. McSally said.  “This is good for Arizona, this is good for America, this is good for Mexico and Canada, this is a win-win for all of us.” 

The AMC also welcomed Representatives Debbie Lesko, David Schweikert and Greg Stanton for a fireside chat where they each expressed their support for USMCA and the Arizona-Mexico relationship.  

“It’s very important that not only all of us but all of the members of Congress take out the time to go down to the border communities to see what is happening,” Rep. Lesko said.  

“Mexico is our friend, not our adversary. I get very frustrated how they’ve been portrayed over the course of [a number] of years… We get so many economic benefits and we get so many human benefits because of the diversity we’re blessed to have here in our community,” Rep. Stanton said.

He explained that Mexico is Arizona’s number one trading partner and the economic relationship is continuously growing.   

Sonora Governor Claudia Pavlovich and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey joined Jessica Pacheco, AMC board president, on stage at the summit to discuss the importance of the Arizona-Sonora relationship level at the state level. 

Gov. Ducey expressed his gratitude for Sonora Governor Claudia Pavlovich and her commitment to building a relationship with Arizona that benefits both states. 

“I can’t express how thankful I am to have someone of this quality in public office in the state of Sonora. This has been a great relationship built on good faith and good will,” Gov. Ducey said.

He added, “If you look at our relationship with Mexico today in Arizona, it’s $16.6 billion in cross-border trade- up 7.7 percent on top of the base of 7 percent growth before that.”

Pacheco and the Governors also emphasized their support for United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which Mexico has already ratified. 

“The USMCA, T-MEC agreement is critical to the growth in our economy. I applaud leaders like Governor Pavlovich and the Mexican federal legislature that has already approved and ratified this,” Gov. Ducey said.