Mexico and U.S. Advance Border Modernization and Security: Binational Bridges and Border Crossings Group

• Mexico and the U.S. reaffirmed their commitment to building a safer, more modern, and more efficient border, in line with shared objectives of security, trade facilitation, and economic competitiveness.
• The meeting covered priority border infrastructure projects and established technical follow-up actions to strengthen long-term coordination.

The plenary meeting of the Mexico-U.S. Binational Bridges and Border Crossings Group, the principal bilateral forum for the presentation, analysis, and follow-up of cross-border infrastructure projects, was held in Washington, D.C. on April 8-9.

At the opening session, State Department Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for North America Max Hamilton stated: "Border security and trade facilitation are complementary objectives, and this group allows us to translate those priorities into concrete actions."

Mexico's Ambassador to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, emphasized: "A modern, secure, and efficient border strengthens regional competitiveness and contributes to the security of both nations, while protecting the lawful movement of goods and people."

The meeting included a review of progress on strategic projects along the entire border, as well as priority issues in border security and trade facilitation. These efforts are aimed at achieving faster and more secure crossings through joint cargo inspection, systems modernization, Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII), and stronger operational coordination between the two countries' authorities, all with a view to protecting the lawful movement of goods and people and countering illicit activity.

The meeting led to meaningful advances in technical coordination between both countries' authorities, defined follow-up paths for priority projects, and strengthened long-term binational planning on security, border infrastructure, and logistics facilitation.

The parties also agreed to reinforce interagency coordination to optimize cross-border flows and to strengthen specialized bilateral technical working groups focused on operational and infrastructure modernization.

The Mexican delegation included officials from the Ministry of Defense, the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM), the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT), and the Mexican Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), among others, as well as state representatives from Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.

The U.S. delegation included personnel from the State Department, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Commerce, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the General Services Administration (GSA), and representatives from California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.