Spillover Economy

Along the Arizona border, there are about 200 maquiladora operations, the mostly U.S.-owned, light-assembly factories on the Mexican side ((ECONOMY & BUSINESS, June 1)). I have strongly supported this business in Congress as beneficial to the U.S. and Mexico because maquiladoras help U.S. companies remain competitive in today's global market, enabling them to retain jobs that might otherwise be lost to Asian competition. Maquiladoras create badly needed work for U.S. citizens in areas along the border, where unemployment is often double the national average. The economic reality is that skilled labor is cheaper in Mexico than it is in the U.S. We are fortunate to have this spillover effect on our economy. I challenge those people who criticize the maquiladoras to learn more about the benefits to both countries.

Jim Kolbe

U.S. Representative

Fifth District, Arizona

Washington