ABSTRACT
Although the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is credited with greatly improving Mexico’s emergent middle class, this was not the case with the indigenous peoples, such as peasants and Mestizos. On the other hand, the economic benefit to all three trading partners was considerable, sufficient to buffer the impact of the 2008 worldwide Great Recession. Moreover, the September 11, 2001 (9/11), terrorist attacks on the United States resulted in greater border security between Mexico and the United States and Canada and the United States, resulting in innovative solutions that benefitted the licit trade between these partners but at the expense of the free movement of the indigenous peoples who once had free access across these now militarized borders. Data from the Border Policy Research Institute indicates the proportion of total U.S. foreign trade associated with major trade partners (1990-2013). During this time frame, the United States imported less from Canada in 2013 (14.6%) than in 1990 (18.4%) while importing more from Mexico in 2013 (12.4%) than in 1990 (6.1%). U.S. exports to Canada also declined from 1990 (21.1%) to 2013 (19.0%), and Mexico again saw a gain from 1990 (7.2%) to 2013 (14.3%).1
