MISSION, Texas - Five Republican U.S. senators, including John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas, met with Reynosa Mayor Carlos Peña Ortiz and Mexican entrepreneurs recently.
The meeting was held on the same day the senators held a press conference at Anzalduas Park to discuss border security.
But the meeting about border trade was never publicized because the senators wanted to keep it private.
The meeting was held at Klub Nautique in Mission, right next to the Rio Grande. Klub Nautique is owned by Commodities Integrated Logistics (CIL). Its president and founder, Joaquin Spamer, was present at the meeting.
CIL commented on the meeting on social media.
“In order to address the topic of ‘Solutions for Border Trade,’ Joaquín Spamer, president of the BTA (Border Trade Alliance), met with United States Senators and key figures in the commercial development of our binational region.
“Among the distinguished attendees were Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). Also present were Javier Villalobos, Mayor of McAllen, Texas, and Carlos Peña, Mayor of Reynosa, Tamaulipas.
“Additionally, alongside valuable strategic allies, Annie Garcia from Senator Cornyn's South Texas outreach office joined the conversation.”
Spamer is president of BTA-Mexico.
The other three senators on the trip to the RGV were John Barrasso of Wyoming, Mike Lee of Utah, and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.
Ron Whitlock of Ron Whitlock Reports attended the press conference the senators held at Anzalduas Park. Whitlock said he wished he had known about the meeting at Klub Nautique because he would have pressed harder to get his second question in to the senators. It was:
“Senator Cornyn, Senator Cruz, what are you doing in Washington, D.C., to bring more federal funds to the Rio Grande Valley to improve the flow of trucks and tourists crossing from Mexico? There never seems to be enough CBP officers available. So, the lines at our land ports of entry are almost always long. This hurts legitimate trade and tourism and our border economy.”
