21st Century Border Initiative: Meet Al Zapanta, President U.S. Mexico Chamber of Commerce

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will be giving a speech on the administrations vision for a 21st Century Border on April 1st at 9:30 AM ET. Immediately following the Secretary's speech there will be a roundtable of distinguished speakers:

John Morton, Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Alejandro Mayorkas, Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
David V. Aguilar, Deputy Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Alan Krieger, Mayor, Yuma, AZ
Al Zapanta, President, U.S. Mexico Chamber of Commerce

Ahead of the speech NDN caught up with Al Zapanta,  President of the U.S. Mexico Chamber of Commerce, and asked him to discuss what he saw as the most important component of the 21st Century Border Initiative.  Mr. Zapanta responded:

“Establishing business, educational, and cultural relations between border cities is essential for the growth and development of communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. 

These interactions are greatly facilitated by the 42 border crossings that exist along the 2000-mile border, three of these being opened in the last nine months”

The idea of a seamless integrated border which is a focal point of economic activity for the United States and Mexico is at the heart of the 21st Century Border Initiative. 

Chappell Lawson, former Executive Director and Senior Policy Advisor to the Commissioner U.S. Customs and Border Patrol at the Department of Homeland Security. has written extensively on this idea in a report he helped write, Managing the United States-Mexico Border: Cooperative Solutions to Common Challenges.

Dr. Lawson will continue to examine this idea of how best to manage the border region on a panel with two Border Mayors from Arizona at Forward Together/Avanzando Juntos/Avançando Juntos – A Conference Looking at the Changing Politics of the Americas on April 11th

Secretary Napolitano's speech and roundtable can be seen by webcast at 9:30 AM ET on April 1st here.