BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, the Port of Brownsville continues to solidify its role as a premier engine for regional economic development, international manufacturing, and cross-border trade along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to Guillermo Rico-Leal, director of business development and marketing for the port.
Speaking at a regional briefing hosted by the Council for South Texas Economic Progress (COSTEP) alongside members of the Binational Higher Education Advisory Council, Rico-Leal outlined the port’s evolution from an early 20th-century agricultural hub handling cotton and citrus into a 40,000-acre industrial navigation district and logistics powerhouse.
“Our priorities include job creation, community engagement, promoting education, and improving the quality of life,” Rico-Leal told attendees. While no residents live within the strictly industrial navigation district, he emphasized that industrial activity inside the port complex directly supports roughly 15,000 jobs across South Texas.
As the only deep-water seaport located directly on the U.S.-Mexico border, Brownsville recently completed a major project achieving a 54-foot channel depth at its entrance—surpassing the 50-foot depth of the Panama Canal. The deep-water access complements 13 general cargo docks, six liquid cargo docks, over 1 million square feet of warehouse space, and 3.5 million square feet of open storage.
Rico-Leal highlighted the port's robust binational supply chain integration, which includes daily rail service moving approximately 5 million tons of steel slabs annually from industrial centers in Monterrey via two daily unit trains. Logistics networks are further supported by pipeline systems supplying natural gas directly to Altamira and Veracruz, barge transport along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and a specialized Texas legislative permit allowing a 30-ton overweight cargo corridor to the Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates.
Cargo tonnage passing through the port has surged dramatically in recent years, rising from 11.6 million tons in 2020 to 28 million tons today. Current operations encompass heavy steel distribution, liquid petroleum, wind energy turbines, SpaceX manufacturing components, and ship recycling operations—including the dismantling of retired naval aircraft carriers.
Rico-Leal noted that overall cargo volume is poised for another historic expansion once the flagship Rio Grande LNG export project comes online, which is projected to move 30 million tons on its own and effectively double the port's total annual throughput.
Administered by port staff and covering all of Cameron County, Foreign Trade Zone No. 62 consistently ranks among the top customs-controlled zones nationwide, placing third in the nation for exports last year while handling over $10 billion in total trade volume.
Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of Rico-Leal's presentation :
