Border Crossing Card
Yesterday on Wednesday
September 24th, I had the opportunity to attend a MAG meeting. (Maricopa Associations
of Governments) Here, the Executive Director briefed the board of city mayors
and representatives about the improvements to the Border Crossing Card.
Currently our Mexican neighbors are allowed to travel 75 miles from the border
of Mexico, limiting visitors to go only as far as Tucson. MAG views this as a
beneficial improvement not only for the people of Mexico, but also the whole
state of Arizona. Allowing people with Border Crossing Cards access to the
entire state of Arizona would add a 2.7 billion dollar increase to state
tourism and trade dollars. In order to retain a Border Crossing Card, Mexican
residents must pass a background check. Border Crossing Cardholders are viewed
as low risk citizens that have been granted entry to the United States for up
to 30 days.
MAG aims to:
- Make it easier for travelers to connect and visit
Arizona
- Make it possible for pre-cleared
visitors to have access to the whole state of Arizona
- Focus on legitimate security concerns, (instead of
visiting families)
- Attract the business community and legislature to come
on board
 |
| Members of MAG including, Mayor Sharon Wolcott of Surprise listen to the Border Crossing Card briefing |
Because cardholders will
have access to the state, this means that every Arizona City would have the
opportunity to participate. Overall this is a positive move for Arizona.
Hi Rosie,
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, I wasn't aware that currently Mexican crossers were held to only 75 miles. So, is there a time period that the whole state will be open to the card holders? This is something that will bring much needed funds to the state, I hope the improvements are accepted soon!
Candace
Finally! This sounds promising, and I think that these are positive steps toward building a more cohesive relationship with our neighbors. I just hope that our welcomed visitors are not greeted by the misfortunes of sb 1070. I look forward to hearing more.
ReplyDeleteHi Rozan
ReplyDeleteThis is a fabulous policy proposal introduced by Maricopa Association of Governments in Arizona. It would be more beneficiary to Arizona in terms of international social relationship, business relationship, and to ease some negative tensions going on in these two bordering countries. This 2.7 billion dollars is very mature amount of money, because Arizona will gain much from it for tourism sector and others. I personal support this move, because Mexicans have their relatives or families resides in here and this can give them chance to visit each other across border regularly under this initiative. Thanks for sharing this with us good job!....
I was curious about the business aspects to this. Does anything change regarding the nature of the visit? What about small business transactions across the border?
ReplyDeleteI thought about that too Thomas, and in the meeting they said that transactions can be made with small businesses. Either using American currency or internationally accepted credit/debit cards.
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