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What is Border 2012
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People Along the Border
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Rapid Population Growth
Urban populations along the border have increased significantly over the past 20 years, due in part to the maquiladora program, begun in 1965, which provided economic incentives to foreign (mostly U.S.-owned) assembly plants located in the border region. The rate of industrial development increased further after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), with about 1,700 plants operating in Mexico in 1990. By 2001, that figure had more than doubled to nearly 3,800 maquiladora plants, 2,700 of which were in the border states. In Mexico, the border region has a very low unemployment rate and high wages compared to other regions of the country. While economic growth has contributed to employment, the region's infrastructure has not kept pace. As a result, natural resources are strained and the environment and public health are adversely affected on both sides of the border.
* The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) removed most barriers to trade and investment among Canada, the United States and Mexico. In order to address environmental pressures that could be caused by increased trade and development associated with NAFTA, the parties created the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and the North American Development Bank (NADB). The CEC's goals are to focus on regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and promote environmental law enforcement. The BECC and NADBank were created to provide environmental infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S.-Mexico Border Sister Cities
The sister cities along the U.S.-Mexico border are linked economically, culturally, and in many cases environmentally e.g., through shared waterways and air sheds. These cities meet at the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Tribes Along The Border
There are 26 U.S. federally-recognized Native American tribes in the border region, which range in size from 9 to 17,000 members. Some of these tribes share extensive family and cultural ties to indigenous peoples in the border region of Mexico.
Mexican Indigenous Peoples in the Border Region
Tribes and Indigenous Peoples along US-Mexico Border. Larger version
- Pápagos
- Kikapúes
- Cochimí
- Cucapá
- Kiliwa
- Kumiai
- Pai Pai
(Source: Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas
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U.S. Tribes in the Border Region
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