ABSTRACT
The maquiladoras originated along the border in the 1960s, exploding in number especially in northern Mexico during the 1970s. Between 1993 and 1998, the maquiladoras accounted for 41.5 percent of average Mexican export value, and between 1994 and 2000 their share of foreign direct investment grew from 6 percent to 21.4 percent. The maquiladoras also generated pollution in many forms on both sides of the border, especially water pollution and the production of hazardous wastes. For the Mexican government, the maquiladoras represented an expedited way to attract foreign investment by establishing a free-trade zone along its border with the United States. The establishment of the maquiladoras was attractive to outside companies because they promised cheap labor costs and lax labor and environmental regulations. The maquiladoras in all of their respective communities shared some forms of untenable pollution and risks, and many of those demonstrated acute environmental injustices.
