When Mexican President Vicente Fox signs the new Maquila Decree this week, it will be big news in Mexico. North of the border, it’s not likely to receive as much attention.

It should. An upsurge in the maquiladora industry in Baja California would translate to direct and indirect economic benefits for the San Diego region.

The goal of the 2006 Maquila Decree is to revitalize Mexico’s maquiladora industry, which suffered from the unintended fallout of the North American Free Trade Agreement and increased competition from Central American and Asian countries, particularly China and India. An invigorated maquildora industry offers more opportunities for U.S. businesses and entrepreneurs to provide goods and services to these manufacturing operations. Read more »