BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Mexico’s Consul General in Brownsville, Judith Arrieta Mungia says new trade data from the U.S. Census Bureau has been published and “it is amazing.
Arrieta gave an in-depth presentation on the data via a recent webinar. Her power point is included at the end of this story.
“The news is amazing and it could not be better,” Arrieta said, referencing the new data. “It shows the reality in the midst of negotiations that are taking place for the review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the USMCA.”
Arrieta pointed out that the United States only has one free trade agreement left, the USMCA.
“And why is the USMCA so important? It is now moving $1.84 trillion US dollars. This was the number at the end of 2025, for trade of goods and services. And this means (it accounts for) one third of the global GDP, with 509 million consumers. And with this third of the global GDP, it is a powerhouse of the world economy.”
Every minute, Arrieta said, $3 million is traded in goods in North America.
“That is outstanding because it has been, since 1994, the main framework of regional economic integration. This has made an economic interdependence, but we are also partners. This competitiveness is built in efforts of trust, and it puts you in a protected position with other regions.”
“NAFTA since 1994 and the USMCA since 2018 built a new era of business in North America for more than 30 years,” Arrieta said.
Our region's competitiveness is built on decades of effort and trust The USMCA strengthens US exports, supports domestic manufacturing and jobs through co-production and keeps investment in North America instead of shifting it to non-allied economies. This is not abstract. It is measurable.”
Arrieta said regional value chains are highly integrated and essential to manufacturing. “On average, auto parts cross regional borders eight times before a vehicle is completed,” she said.
USMCA continues to be the main framework for regional economic integration, Arrieta argued, pointing out that $3 million USD is traded every minute in goods in North America.”
Arrieta cited two studies. One, from Texas A&M, estimated that, in 2025, nine million jobs across the United States, Mexico and Canada depended on trade. A study of IQOM concluded that, only in the US, the USMCA generates 13 million trade-related jobs.
“This is clear evidence of deep, real-time economic interdependence among the three countries,” Arrieta said.
The North American relationship is even stronger when services trade is included, Arrieta argued. Aside from goods, $246 billion US dollars worth of services were traded in 2025, she said.
“Mexico and Canada were the top two US trading partners in goods in 2024. Mexico ranked No. 1 with $840 billion USD, versus dollars versus $798 billion USD in 2023. Together, Mexico and Canada accounted for 30 percent of total US goods trade in 2024.”
Here is a video recording of Arrieta’s webinar:
Here is Arrieta's powerpoint presentation:
