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Congressmen Ciscomani, Stanton Introduce Legislation to Improve CBP Hiring Flexibilities
February 15, 2024
South32 Announces Historic $2.16 Billion Investment in Southern Arizona Hermosa Project
February 14, 2024
“South32’s Hermosa project, currently the only advanced mining project in the United States capable of producing two federally designated critical minerals – zinc and manganese, today received Board approval of $2.16 billion in funding to develop the zinc-lead-silver deposit at its Southern Arizona project site…”
Joint Resolution by Border Stakeholders on Port of Entry Operations and Staffing
December 5, 2023
Joint Resolution of the Arizona Border Port Authorities
September 18, 2023
2023 Stakeholder Survey Results
August 28, 2023
News Article: South32 Could Speed Up U.S. Manganese Development, CEO Says
MarketWatch/Wall Street Journal | August 25, 2022
South32 Ltd. could accelerate development of a battery-grade manganese project near Tucson, Arizona, as policymakers and auto manufacturers seek to shore up supplies of the critical mineral, the mining company's chief executive said on Thursday…
Nogales IOI and Wash Rehabilitation Project Update
U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission | August 24, 2022
U.S. Federal Government Designates $500,00 for Feasibility Study for DeConcini POE Modernization
Nogales International | March 18, 2022
WATCH: State Route 189 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Arizona Department of Transportation | March 11, 2022
Sewage Pipeline Rehabilitation Contract Award Marks Major Milestone to Address Border Wastewater Impacts
Press Release | Arizona Department of Environmental Quality | July 15, 2021
U.S. IBWC Awards Contract to Rehabilitate Sewage Pipeline in Nogales, Arizona
Press Release | U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission | July 13, 2021
The United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) on July 13, 2021 awarded a $13.8 million contract to SAK Construction to rehabilitate a sewage pipeline in Santa Cruz County, Arizona known as the international Trunkline and International Outfall Interceptor (IOI).
Governor Ducey Highlights Arizona-Mexico Trade Relationship During Nogales Visit
Press Release | Office of the Governor of Arizona | June 16, 2021
Governor Doug Ducey today traveled to Nogales to highlight the strong trade relationship between Arizona and Mexico and celebrate the grand opening of Chamberlain Distributing’s new 60,000 square foot refrigerated facility.
State Route 189 Project Newsletter
Arizona Department of Transportation | May 2021 | Vol. 2 No. 3
A bimonthly newsletter from the Arizona Department of Transportation to share important project information about the State Route 189 project.
Border leaders call on President Biden to reopen border to non-essential travelers
KVOA News Tucson | May 17, 2021
TUCSON (KVOA) -- It has been more than a year since former President Trump closed down the ports of entry to non-essential travelers.
Now, with more people getting the vaccine, border leaders are asking President Biden to open the border back up so their communities can start getting back to normal….
Letter to President Biden on Border Crossing Restrictions
Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority | May 12, 2021
State Route 189 Project Newsletter
Arizona Department of Transportation | March 2021 | Vol. 2 No. 2
A bimonthly newsletter from the Arizona Department of Transportation to share important information about the State Route 189 project.
Consular Newsletter
Consulate General of Mexico in Phoenix | March 2021
A monthly newsletter by the Economic & Tourism Affairs division at the Consulate General of Mexico in Phoenix, AZ.
State Route 189 Project Newsletter
Arizona Department of Transportation | January 2021 | Vol. 2 No. 1
A bimonthly newsletter from the Arizona Department of Transportation to share important information about the State Route 189 project.
Stepping up... To get a shot
PRESS RELEASE | Posted: January 22, 2021
Nogales private sector offers help for COVID vaccine distribution.
“As the pandemic has ravaged the nation, in large metropolitan areas and small rural communities, government and the private sector have had to figure out how to best tackle this gargantuan task. In Santa Cruz County, this public-private partnership is having a significant impact on the ability for county officials and medical professionals to get the vaccines into people’s arms…”
WATCH: How Safe Are Vegetables Imported from Mexico?
Nogales-Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce | Posted: January 19, 2021
“We’re giving you an inside into the Nogales-Santa Cruz County essential produce industry, answering all FAQs with local experts. Each video will share more details on the background of the produce industry, from farm to table.”
State Route 189 Project Newsletter
Arizona Department of Transportation | November 2020 | Vol. 1 No. 2
A bimonthly newsletter from the Arizona Department of Transportation to share important information about the State Route 189 project.
CBP Announces Year-Round Sunday Service for Commercial Operations at Nogales
PRESS RELEASE | Posted: November 23, 2020
On Thursday, November 19, during a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority, Mike Humphries, Nogales Port Director for US Customs and Border Protection, announced that starting on January 31, 2021, CBP would be offering Sunday service at the Mariposa port of entry for commercial operations on a year-round basis.
Road construction helps hotels during hard times
Genesis Lara | Nogales International | Posted: November 19, 2020
With travel restrictions at the border preventing a significant number of their customers from visiting Nogales, many local hotel operators say they’ve been struggling to keep their businesses going.
But some have received a timely boost in the form of bookings from contractors working on the major roadway construction project on State Route 189, or Mariposa Road.
Flyover construction Ramps Up
Nogales International | Posted: November 16, 2020
Crews have begun placing steel girders onto concrete supports as they work to complete two flyover ramps at the Interstate 19-Mariposa Road (State Route 189) intersection in Nogales.
As this stage of the project begins, the Arizona Department of Transportation announced a series of nighttime traffic restrictions that began on Sunday, Nov. 15.
State Route 189 Project Newsletter
Arizona Department of Transportation | September 2020 | Vol. 1 No. 1
A bimonthly newsletter from the Arizona Department of Transportation to share important information about the State Route 189 project.
WATCH: Touchless Border Initiative at Arizona’s Ports of Entry
Arizona Department of Transportation | Posted: July 21, 2020
The Arizona Department of Transportation is rolling out a new initiative at Arizona’s border ports of entry: a touchless border by January 2021. This initiative pushes for an online permit purchasing process to enhance safety, increase efficiency, reduce wait times and support trade.
Nogales Sewer Project to Aid Economy in the Region
Victoria Harker | Chamber Business News | Posted: July 21, 2020
A plan to repair aging infrastructure that dumped millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into the Santa Cruz River — impacting Nogales on both sides of the border — has been approved.
It is one of the efforts taken in the past several years to clean up portions of the river and aid local economies. Water recreation activities alone pump almost $189 million annually into the region, according to the Audubon Society.
ADEQ and USIBWC Achieve Landmark Settlement to Address Wastewater Impacts
ADEQ | Posted: June 30, 2020
Nogales, Ariz. -- Officials from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) today announced a Settlement Agreement that addresses Clean Water Act (CWA) issues and sets forth a comprehensive plan to mitigate future discharges of untreated wastewater into the Nogales Wash and Santa Cruz River in Nogales, Arizona. With $38,790,000 in federal, state and local non-profit resources, this plan will bring much-needed infrastructure improvements to Santa Cruz County.
Temporary increased truck weight limits extended through July 30.
Eased limits are for commercial loads with critical supplies.
Arizona Department of Transportation | Posted June 30, 2020
PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has extended through July 30 the temporary higher weight limits for commercial trucks hauling critical supplies and goods during the current public health situation.
Border business: NAFTA replacement begins this week
USMCA will govern billions in cross-border trade
By Craig Smith | KGUN9 | Posted June 29, 2020
NOGALES, Ariz. - Billions in business pass back and forth between Arizona and Mexico. A new trade agreement to manage that trade kicks in this week. KGUN9 On Your Side has more on how the trade deal called the USMCA could affect Southern Arizona.
USMCA To Enter Into Force July 1 After United States Takes Final Procedural Steps For Implementation
Office of the United State Trade Representative Posted | Posted: April 24, 2020
Washington, DC – U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer today notified Congress that Canada and Mexico have taken measures necessary to comply with their commitments under the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), and that the Agreement will enter into force on July 1, 2020. Following that notification to Congress, the United States became the third country to notify the other Parties that it had completed its domestic procedures to implement the agreement—the final step necessary for the USMCA to enter into force.
Notice of Enforcement Discretion
Operation of Commercial Food Trucks in Federally Funded Interstate Highway Rest Areas During the Public Health Emergency (COVID-19)
Federal Highway Administration | Posted April 3, 2020
As a general matter, Federal law, codified at 23 U.S.C. 111, prohibits commercial activity in Interstate Highway rest areas as a condition of Federal funding. Nevertheless, in administering the Federal-aid highway funding program, the FHWA Administrator is given wide discretion under 23 CFR 1.36 to enforce the requirements of section 111 through compliance actions that the Administrator determines are appropriate under the circumstances.
AZ Governor, Produce Industry Celebrate Groundbreaking on Key Nogales Produce Route
Produce Blue Book | Posted March 9, 2020
Advisor for Regional and International Affairs, Office of the Arizona Governor, Juan Ciscomani; Bobby Astengo of Peppers Plus; Gustavo Acosta of RL Jones Customhouse Brokers; Jaime Chamberlain of Chamberlain Distributing; Terry Shannon Jr. of Shannon Brokerage attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a $134 million project to improve SR 189 in Nogales.
Improving SR 189 Means Better Roads, Better Future For Arizona
$134 Million Project To Improve Road Connecting Border And I-19
Arizona Governor’s Office | Posted March 4, 2020
PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey and state, local and federal officials today broke ground on a $134 million project to improve mobility and safety on a 3.75-mile Nogales highway. The project, once completed, will help increase international trade coming through Nogales by linking the Mariposa Port of Entry and Interstate 19.
CBP Looks To Expand Z-Portal Use At Mariposa Port
Bryan Pietsch | Cronkite News | Posted Friday, June 22, 2018
Hugo Nuñez acknowledged that some drivers were unsettled when they first saw the drive-through X-ray machine at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales. “The public at first was a little taken aback by it,” said Nuñez, a supervisory U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at the Nogales port. “When people aren’t fully educated on it, they tend to be a little hesitant to accept it, but I have not seen any issues in the public in a long time.”
SR 189 Overhaul Given Full Build-out Status
Jonathan Clark | Nogales International | Posted Friday, June 15, 2018
An upcoming overhaul of State Route 189 in Nogales is set to be completed in a single phase – and with flyover ramps connecting both its northbound and southbound lanes to Interstate 19 – after the Arizona Department of Transportation updated its five-year construction program to include full funding for the project.
Nogales Testing ‘Superlot’ Inspections During Mexico Grape Season
Ashley Nickle | The Packer | Posted Thursday, May 3, 2018
An upcoming overhaul of State Route 189 in Nogales is set to be completed in a single phase – and with flyover ramps connecting both its northbound and southbound lanes to Interstate 19 – after the Arizona Department of Transportation updated its five-year construction program to include full funding for the project.
New Polygraph Test Could Help Solve Critical Worker Shortage At U.S.-Mexico Border
Rafael Carranza | The Republic | Posted Friday, April 27, 2018
The agency tasked with securing the nation’s borders could soon implement a new and improved version of their mandatory polygraph test, which could make it easier to fill hundreds of vacancies along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Arizona’s Opportunity Zone Nominations Approved
Business News | AZ Big Media | Posted Monday, April 16, 2018
Governor Doug Ducey announced that the State of Arizona submitted its nominations for Opportunity Zones to the U.S. Department of the Treasury on the March 21 deadline. On April 9, 2018, Arizona’s Opportunity Zone nominations were approved by the U.S. Treasury Department, making Arizona one of the first states in the nation to have its zones officially designated. View AZ Commerce’s description of Arizona Opportunity Zones.
New Cargo Inspection Program Cuts Wait Times At Arizona Border Ports
Nate Airulla | Arizona Daily Star | Posted Wednesday, April 4, 2018
An upcoming overhaul of State Route 189 in Nogales is set to be completed in a single phase – and with flyover ramps connecting both its northbound and southbound lanes to Interstate 19 – after the Arizona Department of Transportation updated its five-year construction program to include full funding for the project.
Commercial Trucks To “Fly” Over Nogales, Ariz.
Gabriela Rico | Arizona Daily Star | Posted Saturday, March 17, 2018
The sight of commercial trucks, hauling produce and electronics, tangled with commuters in Nogales, Ariz., will one day be a thing of the past. The Arizona Department of Transportation has been awarded a $25 million federal grant to construct an elevated “flyover” bypass in Nogales to get commercial trucks off the surface roads.
Az Week: Interstate Could Be International Trade Route
Staff | Arizona Public Media | Aired Friday, August 28, 2015
The U.S. Senate recently approved a highway funding bill that includes plans for Interstate 11, a corridor connecting Phoenix and Las Vegas. Arizona Week Friday looks at the implications for trade between Mexico and Canada.
Money Laundering Rules Hindering So Arizona Industries
By Luis Carrasco | Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Saturday, March 14, 2015
Federal regulations meant to stop drug-cartel money laundering are threatening Southern Arizona’s produce industry — and leaving many cross-border importers unable to find banks willing to do business with them.
Bank Cutbacks Near Border Worry Arizona Produce Firms
By Russ Wiles | Arizona Republic | Posted: Saturday, February 28, 2015
Money-laundering regulations have prompted big banks to close accounts near the border and in high-risk industries. Arizona businesses including those in the produce-shipping businesses are worried.
Scrutiny Of Border Bank Closings Gains Momentum
By Curt Prendergast | Nogales International | Posted: Tuesday, February 17, 2015
The former home of Banamex USA on Mariposa Road has remained vacant since parent company Citi closed the bank branch on August 30, 2013.
The debate over the partial withdrawal of big banks from the border area and its impact on border communities picked up speed last week when two U.S. senators called for a hearing on the matter.
Here Is What Arizona’s Leaders Must Do For The State In 2015
By Dan Nowicki, Alia Beard Rau and Mary Jo Pitzl (EDITORIAL BOARD | Arizona Republic | Posted: Monday, January 05, 2015 6:31 pm
The top priority for Gov. Ducey and the Legislature has to be properly funding education, particularly as they face a judge’s order to boost spending by more than $300 million to comply with a voter-approved measure. State leaders are appealing the decision, hoping to buy time. That’s no way to keep faith with voters or produce the educated populace necessary to build a stronger economy.
Nogales Entry Expansion Could Bring More Trade
Astrid Galvin, Associated Press, in The Arizona Republic, Houston Chronicle and Mohave Daily News| October 17 and 19, 2014
Officials say a years-long, multimillion-dollar expansion at the Mariposa Port of Entry here will ease trade and tourist traffic while increasing security.
A celebration last week marked the $244 million expansion to the port of entry. The port now has a dozen car lanes, a bus lane and the capacity to process more than 4,000 trucks a day.
Expanded Nogales Set To Expand Border Trade
Luis F. Carrasco, The Arizona Daily Star | October 16, 2014
After nearly 10 years of planning and construction, Arizona’s largest port of entry is ready to challenge Texas and California as the nation’s busiest commercial crossing.
The official opening ceremony Wednesday of the Mariposa Port of Entry marked the conclusion of the nearly $250 million expansion project. Construction began in 2009 and the port stayed open throughout.
Renovated Mariposa Port Of Entry Reopens In Nogales
AZPM Staff, Arizona Public Media| October 15, 2014
The expanded Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales has been dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony that drew local, state and federal officials to the border city.
Among them was Republican U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, who enumerated the importance of the expanded port.
Cheers and Tears on Trade With Mexico
Our View: A long overdue Arizona trade office opens in Mexico City this week, but other vital services are closing.
Editorial Board, The Arizona Republic | October 4, 2014
A few balloons and some cheers, if you please, to celebrate the state’s opening of a trade office in Mexico City. It’s great news and the result of state and local collaboration as well as public-private partnerships.
‘PORT OF THE FUTUE’ WILL GROW ARIZONA’S ECONOMY
Advocates: The expanded Mariposa Port in Nogales is an entryway into the future of trade for Arizona.
Bruce Bracker and Matt Mandel, The Arizona Republic | September 29, 2014
Arizona’s stature in international trade is taking a giant leap forward thanks to the more than decade-long, behind-the-scenes efforts to promote more efficient and effective commerce.
The Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority will join federal partners to celebrate a bi-national ribbon cutting ceremony in Nogales on Oct. 15 to mark the $244 million completion of the Mariposa Land Port of Entry reconfiguration project.
Trade Through Nogales Could Exceed $35 Billion In 2014.
Arizona Business Magazine | August 20, 2014
The Nogales Port Authority Board has seen a substantial increase in truck traffic and the overall value of trade through the Mariposa Port of Entry since 2010.
The dollars of trade goods transported through the Mariposa Port of Entry, estimated at $20-$25 billion in 2011 , and is now estimated at $30-35 billion in 2014, given numbers the US Customs and Border Inspection has provided to local officials, said Bruce Bracker, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Greater Nogales-Santa Cruz County Port Authority.
Expansion Of Nogales Port Should Ease Border Wait Times.
Christa Elise Reynolds, The Arizona Daily Star | August 9, 2014
The long-awaited renovation of Arizona’s largest port of entry will be completed by the end of the month, but concerns about staffing and potential bottlenecks on the Mexican side remain.
The Mariposa Port of Entry, built in 1973, is undergoing a nearly $200 million renovation that will substantially increase the number of inspections booths and spaces. The changes are expected to speed up the flow of traffic — especially important for the produce industry.
Dirt Flying In Nogales Ahead Of Port’s Opening.
Gabriela Rico, The Arizona Daily Star | August 3, 2014
Who says you can’t move mountains? Well, hills at least.
There once was a hill on a piece of land along the Arizona-Mexico border in Nogales.
The cost of leveling that hill for commercial development was prohibitive to the landowner.
Port Authority Cites Increased Volume, Value Of Port Trade.
Staff Writer, Nogales International | August 1, 2014
Truck traffic and the overall value of trade through the Mariposa Port have shown a “substantial increase” since 2010, the Greater Nogales-Santa Cruz County Port Authority says.