San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastélum will head to Washington next week to advocate for “open and fair” trade between the United States and Mexico.
The trip comes as the two countries begin to renegotiate the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, which President Trump has criticized as the “worst deal ever” but is considered key to the San Diego-Tijuana region’s prosperity.
The mayors will meet with top administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development and Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday and Wednesday to advocate for open trade between San Diego and Tijuana, according to city officials.
On Tuesday, Faulconer will speak at a board meeting of the Border Trade Alliance. The nonprofit aims to address key issues affecting trade, travel and security in the U.S., said city officials.
Both Faulconer and Gastélum will speak on Wednesday at the nonprofit alliances’s Building a Competitive U.S.-Mexico Border conference at the Wilson Center. The conference will discuss how to improve border management to help strengthen trade for both the U.S. and Mexico.