In a landmark agreement Mexico will open the first ever foreign customs office inside the United States as a shipping port. Thousands of trucks will
go through export inspections and then be sent back out onto the North American Free Trade Agreement corridor. As long as the containers stay
electronically sealed they will be allowed to cross the border without any further inspections or delays.
www.indystar.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Shipping American cars and electronics to Mexico may become much cheaper and faster early next year when the first Mexican
customs facility in the United States is expected to open in the heart of the Midwest.
It may be nearly 1,000 miles to the border from Kansas City, but this industrial hub soon will start building an inland port that would whisk
thousands of trucks through export inspections and shoot them back out onto the North American Free Trade Agreement corridor, where they can roll
through the border without further delays.
The $3 million facility, which would be the first foreign customs office inside the United States, likely will be approved by the U.S. and Mexican
governments by year's end and is scheduled to open in May, said Chris Gutierrez, president of Kansas City SmartPort Inc., a nonprofit organization
promoting the project. Planners say manufacturing industries in the upper Midwest and Canada would be the first to benefit from the new customs
operation, which they believe could expand to handle cargo from across the country.
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Kansas City is considered to be the geogrpahical heartland of the United States and the entire NAFTA Region. The fact is that this facility is
scheduled to be operational by May of 2006. Although I am not sure what the conditions are for the return of the trucks as the article was not very
specific on that issue.
This will probably increase Kansas City's revunue a lot. I imagine that many companies who send a large amount of products to Mexico and points south
will be moving their facilities here, or at least having a part of their operations here. It would probably save the companies tons of money, and also
start putting money into Kansas City's coffers...