Deb Haaland, a candidate for governor of New Mexico, visited Santa Teresa to discuss the impact of tariffs and economic development at the border with Mexico. During her visit, Haaland received a briefing on how tariffs introduced during Donald Trump’s presidency have affected prices in the region.
The Santa Teresa border area plays a significant role in New Mexico’s economy, supporting thousands of jobs and facilitating billions of dollars in trade. The region has become increasingly important as Mexico recently overtook Canada as the top trading partner of the United States. Each month, large volumes of goods cross the El Paso trade corridor, with Santa Teresa handling a share of this traffic.
Haaland criticized the tariffs, stating that they have discouraged investment in the region and increased costs for consumers. She highlighted the need for infrastructure improvements, such as constructing the Border Highway Connector and expanding housing supply, to support future economic growth. Haaland pointed to her experience leading infrastructure investments at the Interior Department and expressed her commitment to working with international partners to take advantage of New Mexico’s position.
Haaland’s visit included a look at Santa Teresa’s four industrial parks, where development is underway for a $165 billion artificial intelligence data center by Oracle and OpenAI.
She addressed the impact of tariffs on local residents, saying: “Oh, dear heaven. The tariffs are so negative, causing everything to be more expensive,” Haaland said. “Everybody cites the tariffs as to why their grocery bills are going up. The tariffs are a scam; Trump should take those down immediately.
“New Mexicans rely on the trade relationship with Mexico. […] When they implemented these tariffs it was not a well thought out plan, it was done to punish countries but, as we see now, it’s punishing Americans, it’s punishing New Mexicans.”
Haaland continues to meet with local businesses, families, unions, and organizations to hear their concerns about rising living costs and their ideas for improving New Mexico. She stated that if elected governor, she will focus on lowering costs, improving education, creating jobs for New Mexicans, and increasing public safety.
