About
Mission: the most efficient And effective Ports of Entry.
Nogales is the largest Port of Entry for Fresh Produce in the United States
Nogales is the largest Port of Entry for Fresh Produce in the United States
In partnership with public and private sectors, the strategic mission of the Port Authority is to strengthen the regional economy, improve international trade and spur tourism and community development by making the international ports of entry and surrounding areas the most efficient and effective for generations to come.
Founded in December 2004, the Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority (GNSCCPA)—or the Port Authority, for short—brings together the key stakeholders from the Ambos Nogales region together to address issues that impact our ports of entry.
Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority Core Strategies:
•Improve the key ports of entry in all aspects so that they function as effectively and efficiently as possible.
•Recognize the Ports of Entry are key to the region’s economy, act as a strong advocate and champion for nurturing, growing and promoting economic development opportunities and enhancing the quality of life in the region.
•Improve the Port Authority’s visibility and broaden the understanding of what we do and the impact on the region.
•Build the capacity to support the community’s vision for the Port Authority and move the goals and objectives forward.
What We Do
•Create Jobs
•Attract Investment
•Facilitate Trade
•Promote Growth
•Improve Quality of Life
Port Authority Priorities.
Full Build out of SR-189: Critical For The Region’s Growth
"The modernization of SR 189 will greatly help with congestion along the corridor and address major safety concerns, particularly with the grade-separation that will provide a safer environment for the high school traffic and traffic in general,” said Bruce Bracker, a Santa Cruz County supervisor. “It is critical that we promote this project and attract new investment and create new jobs in our community."
Jaime Chamberlain, chairman of the Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority and former chairman of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, said “This project also leverages the investment made by the Mexican government to modernize Highway 15, the highway that connects Arizona to Mexico City,” Chamberlain said. “This is a major investment for Nogales and for Arizona. The future is bright for our community.”
Secure additional staffing for our Ports of Entry.
Customs and Border Protection needs sufficient staff to meet current and future needs to protect the Homeland and expedite legal traffic. The Port Authority works with federal agencies to provide sufficient CBP staffing for primary inspection lanes so that the flow of vehicles and products move efficiently through Nogales POEs.
Deploy state of the art technologies to expedite trucks and cars.
Nogales has always been at the forefront of technology deployment and testing of new inspection procedures. Technologies now exist that could be used to scan every car and every truck prior to arriving at the primary booth. The Port Authority advocates for these technologies to be tested and deployed in a perfect environment at Mariposa POE.
Modernization I-19 Interchanges at Ruby Road and Rio Rico Drive.
With the modernization of Mariposa POE and SR-189, and major investments in warehouses and distribution centers, trade continues to grow through Nogales. The Port Authority is pushing for major improvements to be made that will address growing congestion and safety concerns due to the intermingling of private vehicles and trucks.
Modernization of The DeConcini Port Of Entry.
DeConcini POE is one of the nation’s largest ports of entry for cars and people. It has been more than 30 years since the last major improvements were made to this facility. Port Authority is working with federal agencies and state congressional delegation to elevate the priority of this project to address continual backlog of cars and long lines of pedestrians are impacting the downtown retail sector.
Complete Modernization and secure funding to pay for the M&O of IOI.
The International Outfall Interceptor (IOI) pipeline transports over 14 million gallons per day from Nogales, Sonora to the wastewater treatment plant at Rio Rico, Arizona. The Port Authority supports efforts by Congressman Raul Grijalva and Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally to pass legislation that would appropriate the necessary funding to the International Boundary and Water.
Marketing and Branding strategy to tell our story.
The Port Authority heads up the effort to implement a marketing and branding strategy to inform companies in the U.S.-Mexico region that the Nogales/Santa Cruz County and Arizona-Mexico Corridor is second to none. Messaging will underscore the major investments that have been made in inspection and transportation infrastructure, along with innovative inspection procedures.