“Although the original intention of NAFTA was to helpdeter migration by creating new jobs and prosperity in Mexico,

it appears to have done just theopposite. While many Mexicans welcome the elevated political status it hasbestowed upon their country,

thetrade agreement has left large numbers of farmers and small business owners outof work.

Thesepeople are left with few options but to seek a better life in the US.” –Anna N

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) NAFTA was implemented in 1994. NAFTA’s purpose was to increase trade between the United States and Mexico by eliminating the tariffs for products traded between these countries. NAFTA fueled the economy and immigration across the border and resulted in increased environmental and maquiladora issues. NAFTA has been attributed to stifling Mexican business and economy. When NAFTA was being developed it was agreed by the Clinton administration and officials of President Carlos de Gortari that the American investments from factories that manufacture automobiles, appliances, TV sets, apparel and the like that were brought into Mexico, would be used for financing roads, schools, sanitation, housing and other means that were necessary to accommodate the increasing number of factories in the country. Instead of the finances Mexico should be receiving as a result of NAFTA and the factories being used to benefit the Mexican community the money has gone to certain clients and has not been used to benefit Mexico. NAFTA created many environmental and economic issues. The factories have caused pollution of the air and water and have not been penalized. Corporations are also receiving the majority of profits while Mexico is not benefiting minimally. The increase in the number of people who want to cross the border has increased the population on both the U.S. and the Mexican side of the border. Places that have been affected are Tijuana and California. In Tijuana there is a continual population increase by people who want the opportunities that the United States has to offer. In California it is approximated that half of the population are undocumented migrants. NAFTA was expected to increase jobs and wages and decrease migration but the opposite has occurred. During the first seven years of NAFTA it is estimated that 700000 thousand jobs were generated by maquilas, 300,000 of which were lost between 2000 and 2003. Approximately 1.5 million agricultural jobs have been lost and wages have decreased especially in the case of farmers. The loss in jobs can be attributed to assembly factories moving to China in order to take advantage of the lower wages. Before NAFTA was in effect 400,000 people used to cross the border yearly and the number has currently increased to 500,000 (Campbell and Hendricks). In December 1994 an economic crisis occurred in Mexico resulting the peso becoming devalued. NAFTA attributes to 5% if Mexico’s GDP. As a result of NAFTA there has been a slight increase in the per capita GDP. The role of agriculture in the economy has dropped four points since 1980 and is currently at 4.4% (Patel). “Through the NAFTA agreement, the manufacturers, known as maquiladoras, have infected the Mexican environment by dumping all the toxic waste on their land just like it was a junkyard… The workers are used for low wage advantages… On average they receive 750 pesos which equals out to $75 dollars per week. What are they supposed to do with $75 when they have to feed a family?”-Rolando R.

A Closer Look Click on the bolded links below Immigration Policy: - NAFTA - Colonia Chilpancingo Class Work - Final immigration papers - Class debate Highlights from the Trip - Casa del Migrantes - Other high schools - U.S. Border Patrol - Maclovia Rojas - May Day Expressions - Chicano park - A student’s poem More Information - Helpful links

What and who we encountered that was affected by NAFTA:

“We visited an environmental collective in Chilcipango, a town in Tijuana that has been drastically affected by leftover waste from foreign countries. The water that runs the village is no longer blue and now takes on the color of the filth that runs through it. The environmental collective, made up mostly of women, has fought back against the waste…” –Jevon W. These pictures of Chilpancingo give an example of the effects maquiladoras under NAFTA have had on communities that were once livable.

Colonia Chilpancingo To study the effects of NAFTA, particularly the maquiladora’s environmental affects, the Borders class visited the community Colonia Chilpancingo in Tijuana. Chilpancingo has been an established community in Tijuana for decades, however since the implementation of maquiladora’s the community has been destroyed. Originally its income came from agriculture and fruit production but most of that has been destroyed due to the exhaustion and contamination of useable soil from the affects of the maquiladora factories. Mothers began to have more miscarriages, babies were born with diseases, and rashes became common on the skin. Once factories began to open, even before NAFTA, the residents shifted from farmers to factory workers. Now, most of the community is women while their husbands are working elsewhere. After 15 years, the Alamar River that runs through the community has been completely contaminated with metals and pollution; one resident explained how from day to day the color of the river changes. The problems caused by the waste left behind by maquiladoras heighten as they shut down. During the destruction of one maquiladora, 23,000 lbs of toxic waste was left behind; the government only cleaned about 1,900 lbs originally. The Colectivo Chilpancingo Pro Justicia Ambiental (Chilpancingo Collective for Environmental Justice) was formed by members of Chilpancingo and nearby communities to fight the increasing problems caused by the factories’ toxic waste. For years the collective fought legally to have the government come in and clean up the mess left behind; eventually the Environmental Protection Agency from the United States stepped in to help. However, the women presenting the Collective to us noted that the agency did less than they tried to make it seem they did. Although a contract was finally signed, and the results were happily received, the communities in the Collective still face numerous contamination problems that are not receiving attention. The Borders class thought it was incredible and inspiring to see a small community fight actively for change and see it; we hope their future action is successful.

We studied the specifics of NAFTA by looking at corn production. Read some of the essays on the topic written by students in Borders:

How to Stop the Effects of NAFTA on Mexican Corn Farmers by Riley Timlin

NAFTA and Corn Dumping by Adora Cherry