N.M. Senators Push To Expand Zoning For Mexican Nationals To Travel

N.M. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall proposed a bill that would help bring more potential economic activity to cities that include Las Cruces, Deming, and Lordsburg.

They want to expand the limit that Mexican nationals with biometric border crossing cards can travel so that the state's largest southern cities can have the same economic benefit as El Paso and other border towns.

"We think that commerce would be increased, tourism would be increased," Bingaman said. "There would be a lot more economic activity."

Mexican nationals with approved border crossing cards, known as laser visas, can currently travel up to 25 miles into the U.S. for 30 days without needing another permit. They can visit family, go shopping and conduct business.

Bingaman and Udall want to change that zone to 75 miles so that tourists can travel up to cities like Las Cruces.

The Senators modeled their proposal of 75 miles after Arizona, which changed their zone limit in 1999 so that Mexican nationals can travel into Tucson.

Lucy Rathgeber works in a chocolate shop in Mesilla and said that Mexican tourists are a big part of her customer-base. She said she feels that the expanded zone will help her business and others like it across southern New Mexico.

"I do think it will make a difference," Rathgeber said. "We already see on the weekends a fair number of people from Mexico that come. So I do see that it would increase our tourism here in Mesilla, which we really need."

The border crossing cards are only issued to people who have passed background and security checks, so the senators said they believe safety wouldn't be compromised.

Bingaman said he's confident that the border limit will be enforced, even though there's no actual checkpoint between the El Paso area and Las Cruces.

"The law enforcement personnel that are currently there in southern New Mexico could handle it," Bingaman said. "We have a very substantial increase in the number of border patrol people."