EL PASO, Texas \u2014 Despite heightened immigration enforcement and political uncertainty at the U.S.-Mexico border, Mexican shoppers continue to play a vital role in Texas\u2019 retail economy, contributing billions of dollars in spending each year.<\/p>\n
In El Paso, the impact is especially visible during the holiday season. Local malls and stores remain packed with shoppers, many of whom are visiting from Mexico. Several shoppers say concerns over immigration policies have not altered their routines.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still come because there\u2019s more variety and better prices,\u201d said Rafael \u00c1vila, a shopper from Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez. \u201cYou find sales and special offers that are harder to find back home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Business owners say that cross-border visits are a key driver of strong seasonal profits. According to Jos\u00e9 Corral, a local business manager, Mexican shoppers are drawn by both quality and affordability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey like to come here because we have high-quality products and competitive prices,\u201d Corral said.<\/p>\n
For some visitors, shopping in Texas is also a business opportunity. Mario Gamboa, a merchant from Mexico, regularly purchases merchandise in El Paso to resell across the border.<\/p>\n
\u201cTennis shoes are cheaper here, blankets too,\u201d Gamboa explained. \u201cIn Mexico, I sell them for a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Economists say this pattern extends far beyond El Paso. Cities across Texas, especially border communities, benefit year-round from Mexican consumer spending.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a city like McAllen, it\u2019s almost a third of their commercial activity,\u201d said Belinda Roman, an economics professor at St. Mary\u2019s University. \u201cFor larger metro areas like El Paso and Ju\u00e1rez combined, we\u2019re probably talking about close to $1 billion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roman\u2019s research also shows that the purchasing power of Mexican nationals has increased in recent years, driven in part by the growth of Mexico\u2019s middle class.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not just talking about lower-income shoppers anymore,\u201d Roman said. \u201cThere\u2019s a strong and growing Mexican middle class coming from places like Chihuahua and Monterrey, and they want to shop, especially in northern U.S. cities.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some business owners and shoppers have expressed concern that tougher immigration policies under the Trump administration could discourage cross-border travel, most Mexican visitors enter the U.S. legally using visas. So far, economists say, those concerns have not translated into a noticeable decline in spending.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe use of ATMs throughout the city tells the story,\u201d Roman said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of commercial activity. Mexican nationals don\u2019t just come to buy one item and leave; they use U.S. cities almost as if they were at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, economists say, Mexican shoppers remain a cornerstone of Texas\u2019 retail economy, providing a crucial boost not only to border cities but to communities across the state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EL PASO, Texas \u2014 Despite heightened immigration enforcement and political uncertainty at the U.S.-Mexico border, Mexican shoppers continue…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":98737,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[3645,132,1570,102,138,140,139,8074,223,287,82,27,1569,8076,37356,835],"class_list":["post-98808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-el-paso","tag-app-national-politics","tag-austin","tag-ctv","tag-dallas","tag-el-paso","tag-el-paso-headlines","tag-el-paso-news","tag-luis-garcia","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-san-antonio","tag-texas","tag-texas-what-you-need-to-know","tag-topic-latest-national-politics-stories","tag-topic-national-politics","tag-vod"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98808\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}