The Undersecretary for North America, Carlos Sada, today chaired the Tenth Meeting of the Bilateral Executive Steering Committee for the 21st Century Border Management Initiative in the Mexican Foreign Ministry. The U.S. delegation was led by John Creamer, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. State Department; and Michael Dougherty, Assistant Secretary, Border, Immigration and Trade Policy, Department of Homeland Security.
Undersecretary Sada stressed that the planning and implementation of effective policies and strategies allow Mexico and the United States to take advantage of their geographical proximity.
The 21st Century Border is a bilateral cooperation initiative designed to enhance border security and promote economic competitiveness. In this regard, the Undersecretary said, "This has made it possible to identify and make progress in a coordinated manner on priority issues for the sustainable development of the border region."
At the meeting, both parties reviewed the results of the 2017 Action Plan on infrastructure, secure flows and law enforcement. Lastly, they committed to continue working to establish a plan to guide their actions in 2018. Additionally, the U.S. delegation requested a speedy resolution to the Tijuana River Valley sewage issue.
There are 55 land border crossings in operation between Mexico and the United States, used for more than 80% of bilateral trade. Every day, about one million people and over 447,000 vehicles make documented border crossings in both directions.
