ICYMI: Making Amends With Mexico
Making Amends With Mexico
"Abbott Displayed A Tremendous Courage In Forging Ahead With This Three-Day Journey..."
Editorial Board
... With more than $100 billion in economic activity between Mexico and Texas, the stakes are huge — something that the Rio Grande Valley has known for a long time.
So last week’s visit by Gov. Greg Abbott to Mexico City — the first by a Texas governor in eight years — was significant in both symbolism and economic reality. And we congratulate Abbott for making the journey. ...
It is within that context that Abbott made his first visit to a foreign country as governor. And for that, we applaud him.
Given the appeal of xenophobic rhetoric to his base, Abbott displayed a tremendous courage in forging ahead with this three-day journey, which many characterized as a fence-mending tour.
Abbott met with several Mexican officials, including the Mexican president, and signed several agreements intended to enhance economic activity between Texas and Mexico — as well as security, which is often a difficult topic to navigate given the turmoil that has embroiled Mexico for nearly a generation now.
Perhaps the most significant moment of his visit was when Abbott invited Peña Nieto to come to Texas for what would represent a significant step forward in the relationship between this state and that country. ...
The Valley knows better than most locations in Texas the economic implications of a strong relationship with Mexico and the cultural ties between both entities is ingrained in our region. ...
And, just like NAFTA before, the transformation can be directly tied in so many ways to our relationship with Mexico.
It’s a relationship that smart politicians, such as Abbott and Peña Nieto, would be wise to highlight by meeting in our backyard.
Read the full article.