Does Your Job Depend on Mexico?

At about 3:15 a.m., CBP officials temporarily suspended processing for all northbound vehicle traffic at the border crossing, as well as northbound pedestrian processing at the Pedestrian East facility. Photos by Mani Albrecht U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Public Affairs Visual Communications Division

The Cato Institute offers a menu of compelling reasons to give a border closing some careful thought.

Cato notes (abridged):

President Trump reiterated his threat Saturday to “close the border” or “large sections of it” next week. To put it mildly, “closing the border” is a terrible idea. The president cannot close the border to illegal immigration. What he can do—and is already doing—is slow the flow of legal crossings.

Mexico is America’s 2^ndlargest export market and 3^rd largest total trading partner.

S. border crossings with Mexico handle a half a trillion dollarsin trade each year. Nearly half enters through Texas where two thirds of illegal border crossings have occurred this year.

Each year, U.S.-Mexico border crossings permit the entry of more than 190 million peopleand 6.3 million commercial trucks.

Nearly 5 million American jobs dependon U.S.-Mexico trade.

Mexico exports to the United States $26 billionin intermediate goods (components of final products), meaning that closing the border would be like building a wall in the middle of a factory floor.