City condemns the president’s threats to close the border

Calexico City Council stand united regarding President Trump’s plans for the border. They read a resolution during this week’s council meeting.

Mayor Lewis Pacheco said, “[The city] strongly opposes the proposed closure of the Mexican-United States border crossing.”

They’re concerned about the effects a closure would have in the area.

Council Member Bill Hodge said, “If the border was closed, it would be economically devastating.”

Council Member Morris Reisin echoed Hodge’s concerns.

“It’s a ghost town. We’re done. It’ll be very, very devastating. It cannot happen. 90% of my sales here in Calexico are from Mexicali,” Reisin said.

Reisin said manpower in the area would take a big hit.

“70% of the people that come across the border work here in Calexico and Imperial Valley,” Reisin said.

They said it would break apart the two border cities.

“The economies, cultures and families of the two cities are interwoven across the border, ” Pacheco said.

They said it would affect several industries.

“Thousands of truckloads of fresh produce, manufactured products and other goods that flow back and forth every day. California exported an average of 127 million per day of merchandise to Mexico. And imported and average of 73 million per day of goods to the U.S.,” Pacheco said.

They said a closure would have long-reaching effects.

“How detrimental it would be to our community, to the Imperial Valley, to the state of California, to the nation itself,” Hodge said.

“It just cannot happen. It should not happen,” Reisin said.