Laredo/Brownsville

At Laredo, 2,000 trucks cross each way each day between the city and its sister, Nuevo Laredo, in Mexico. By the year 2000, as many as 10,000 trucks will cross either way, according to some projections. The Laredo Customs District now handles more trade than the ports of Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas combined, handling $15 billion in U.S. exports to Mexico plus $17 billion in U.S. imports from Mexico in 1995.

Humberto Garza, foreign trade zone manager for Laredo and operations superintendent for Laredo International Airport, said the airport and three industrial parks now make up Laredo's four foreign trade zones. He said local officials now are awaiting approval for a fifth foreign trade zone site 15 miles north of the city.

Brownsville is capitalizing on the fact that its Port of Brownsville is also one of the largest industrial parks in the country, consisting of some 40,000 acres of land with foreign trade zone status. New plans for expansion have accompanied the recent addition of a dry dock facility.

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