AUSTIN, Texas – A mutual cooperation agreement between Texas and the Mexican state of Coahuila was signed today in Austin on Monday. The economic deal comes as tensions over immigration reform remain high and as democrats kick off their national convention in Chicago.
The statement of mutual cooperation signed by Governor Greg Abbott and Coahuila governor Manolo Jiménez is essentially an extension of a previous deal.
“We know that through collaboration, we can make our states stronger and more powerful,” said Governor Abbott.
The deal includes a promise to help slow the flow of illegal immigration from Mexico, and protect the flow of commerce and trade across the border.
“We are reaffirming the commitment we made last year to keep our efforts focused and concrete strategies and collaborations,” said Governor Jimenez.
The ceremony was attended by several business leaders from Texas and Mexico.
Governor Abbott spent a lot of time meeting and shaking hands, but on social media, he was putting up barriers. Abbott posted about the ongoing construction of the border wall in south Texas and promised to add more.
In another post, he took a political jab at a wall going up in Chicago. He called Democrats “hypocrites” for installing fencing at the arena where their national convention kicked off Monday. The governor, during his “border bonding” gathering at the mansion, didn’t take any questions about his comments on social media.
The event at the governor’s mansion was a glimpse into Abbott’s broader border strategy. Two years ago, the governor shutdown trade routes into Texas to force Mexican governors to increase border enforcement.
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“Every election cycle, it gets louder and louder,” said Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson.
Nelson, who was at the governor’s border event, talked about the November election and voter registration rolls. Efforts are currently underway to remove the names of people who are not eligible to vote.
“We are reviewing the rolls that local counties are reviewing to make sure that only qualified Texans vote. And yet people have an opportunity to go to VoteTexas.gov, online. People can go on there and enter in their information, their driver’s license, their date of birth and make sure that they are registered to vote. October 7 is the cutoff date. So, I would encourage people to make sure they’re registered to vote,” said Sec. Nelson.
The border will remain a big issue into the fall because of the Presidential race. Vice President Harris, during the DNC convention, is expected to talk about streamlining the immigration process to address the problem.