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A variety of social and economic factors link U.S. and
Mexican border communities, and maquiladoras play a significant
role in this interdependence.
Trade figures indicate that the four U.S. border states
account for about 62 percent of U.S. exports to Mexico, while 70
percent of these exports were destined for Mexican border
states. Border communities are also drawn together socially by
family and educational ties and economically by twin-plant
production and retail commerce.
Residents in the twin cities cross the border about one
million times every day to work, shop, attend classes, visit
family, and participate in other activities. The maquiladora
sector, which relies heavily on imports from the United States
and represents the principal industrial activity on the Mexican
side of the border, drives cross-border economic integration as
well as the increasing U.S.-Mexico interdependence. However, the
border is a diverse region, and the extent of interdependence
between communities along the border varies widely.
After growing rapidly during the 1990s, Mexican maquiladoras
experienced a sharp decline in production and employment after
October 2000. In early 2002, employment in the maquiladora
sector had contracted about 20 percent, losing nearly 290,000
jobs, and production had contracted about 30 percent. The
decline was particularly severe in certain industries and
cities. For example, maquiladora employment in... ...Continued
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