A surge in irregular migrants, asylum seekers, and fentanyl has put the US-Mexico border in the center of political debate and presidential campaigns in the United States, feeding a narrative that the border is somehow collapsing and that US national security is threatened. While those challenges are unquestionably real, there is a simultaneous reality that is completely absent from the current political and economic discussion: $1.5 million in goods produced in both countries cross the border every single minute—$2.2 billion every single day—supplying consumers and creating millions of jobs in the US and Mexico. Likewise, over a million legal border crossings, both south-to-north and north-to-south, also take place every day, contributing to the economy in the border region. The US-Mexico border is the busiest border on the planet.
This Lecture aims to put in perspective the political, economic, and social reality of the border; to discuss the challenges—and opportunities—both countries face; to consider what they are doing and have to do; and to reflect on the risks of misrepresenting the border for political gain.
RSVP on Eventbrite to attend in person:
About the Speaker
Ambassador Juan José Gómez-Camacho is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute, as well as a member of the teaching faculty of SAIS. Most recently he served as Ambassador of Mexico to Canada.
Prior to his current assignment he served as Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore and concurrently to the Union of Myanmar and the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam (2006-2009); Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations based in Geneva, Switzerland (2009-2013); Ambassador to the European Union as well as to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (2013-2016); and Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York (2016-2019).
He is regarded as one of the most influential experienced Mexican diplomats, and is widely recognized for his strong leadership and for his analytical and negotiation skills. During his 30-year diplomatic career, he has played a key role in addressing and providing solutions to diverse and increasingly complex global challenges, both political and economic, for which government-centered-only alternatives are proving insufficient. Some of his major achievements include the conclusion of breakthrough international agreements on emerging global health challenges; the adoption of the first ever Global Deal on International Migration; the successful negotiation of the framework of the New Trade Agreement between Mexico and the European Union. Other important accomplishments include the negotiation and development of significant US-Mexico border infrastructures; and the design and implementation of the present Mexican foreign policy and legislation on Human Rights and Democracy.
He is highly recognized for his thorough understanding of North American relations, as well as North American–European Union relations, Latin America and Southeast Asia, on a multi-stakeholder basis.
He is a compelling communicator, including in the media, and is frequently invited as speaker in international conferences and events on diverse subjects. A Spanish mother tongue, he speaks English and French fluently.