Past Border Mayors Summits
Since 2011, the association has held summits for mayors and key staff from both sides of the border. Below are minutes and documents from each event.
1st Summit (2011)
Mayor John F. Cook hosted the historic inaugural meeting on Aug. 16, 2011 in El Paso, Texas. The marquee speakers at the event were U.S. Representative Silvestre Reyes, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin and the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Betsy Markey.
2nd Summit (2012)
Mayor Carlos Bustamante Anchondo hosted the 2nd summit on Aug. 9, 2012 in Tijuana, Baja California, México. The marquee speakers at the event were U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary of International Affairs Alan Bersin, Tijuana’s Municipal Cabinet Coordinator Antonio Cano Jimenez, Mexican Federal Government Executive Secretary of National Security Jose Oscar Vega Marin representing Dr. Alejandro Poiré Romero from the México Ministry of the Interior, and Chairman of the Political Coordination Board for the Mexican Senate Senator Manlio Fabio Beltrones Rivera.
3rd Summit (2012)
Mayor John F. Cook as the Founder and Chairman of the association presided over the 3rd summit in August. Twenty-three mayors from both sides of the border met in San Diego California to discuss challenges and solutions that impact border communities. The topics covered important issues like immigration, international public safety cooperation, economic development, public private partnerships, border crossings and dealing with growing levels of cross border trade.
4th Summit (2013)
Mayor Héctor Murguía Lardizábal hosted the 4th summit on Friday, May 24, 2013 in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México. The marquee speakers at the event were U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary of International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer Alan Bersin, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs Philip McNamara, and Governor of the State of Chihuahua César Duarte Jáquez.
5th Summit (2016)
Executive Director John Cook opened the 5th Summit of the Border Mayors Association in Laredo, Texas on August 24, 2016. Mr. Cook presented a brief summary of the genesis and purpose of the Association, as required to cover the period since the last meeting in the city of Juarez, Mexico; And the need to cover the resignation of Co-Chair Mayor Bob Filner of San Diego during his term in office. Mr. Cook turned the meeting over to Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz and to a representative from the office of Nuevo Laredo Mayor Carlos Cantu Rosas. Mayor Saenz gave a warm welcome to the attending Mayors and organizations.
6th Summit (2017)
A heartfelt thank you to all the mayors from both Mexico and the United States who attended the 6th Summit of the Border Mayors in San Diego and Tijuana. The Summit provided a great opportunity for elected leaders to review and discuss issues that impact our communities. This was the first time the Association has met in both countries, making it our first truly bi-national summit. Both Mayor Faulconer and Mayor Gastélum prepared educational panel discussions and opportunities for the mayors to give their perspectives on everything from trade, manufacturing tourism, the environment and culture.
7th Summit (2018)
The U.S.-Mexico Border Mayors Association convened its 7th binational summit on Sept. 20-22 in San Antonio, Texas. The association was chaired by the Honorable Kevin Faulconer, Mayor of San Diego, and the Honorable Juan Manuel Gastelum, Mayor of Tijuana.
Border cities in Mexico and the U.S. are closely linked by a common economy, environment and shared community. This is an important time for our region to come together to illustrate the dynamic economic opportunities of the cross-border economy to those in our federal capitols. Binational collaboration through trade, infrastructure