State House leaders tout border impact

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State Rep. Ray Lara, a Democrat from Chamberino in southern Doña Ana County, was joined April 28 by New Mexico House of Representatives Majority Leader Javier Martínez, an Albuquerque Democrat, on a tour of the border industrial complex in Santa Teresa, the New Mexico House Democrats said in a news release.

Lawmakers were invited by the Border Industrial Association (BIA) to tour the area and learn about the growing manufacturing and distribution center.

“We are always happy to host members of New Mexico’s Legislature in order for them to see how public sector investment generates a multiple factor of private investment, thus creating economic development opportunities and good-paying jobs in Santa Teresa,” BIA President Jerry Pacheco of Santa Teresa told the Bulletin.   

“It is incredibly important to bring our leaders here in person to see the explosion of development in our border region and meet the workers who are turning these opportunities into real benefits for the people of our state,” Lara said in the news release. Lara has represented New Mexico House District 34 since 2019 and is unopposed in both the primary and general election this year in his bid for a third term. “We must remember the deep personal connections many New Mexicans share with our neighbor to the south and the importance of the border region to our state culturally and economically,” he said.

“The Santa Teresa border industrial complex demonstrates the tremendous economic potential of New Mexico’s border region,” Martínez said. “The strategic location and manufacturing strength at the complex is setting the stage for our state to become a major player in America’s international trade, which will help us continue to diversify our economy and create good paying jobs for New Mexicans.”

BIA consists of more than 100 members located in or doing business in the Santa Teresa region, Pacheco said. BIA members represent more than 6,000 jobs and over a billion dollars of private investment in southern New Mexico.

Contact Pacheco at 575-589-2200. Visit www.nmbia.org.


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