Officials from the Mexican federal government and the state of Chihuahua told New Mexico legislators that modernization of the San Geronimo–Santa Teresa crossing is a national priority for Mexico and requested coordinated U.S. engagement and investment.

"This port is a priority for the Mexican government," Mexico's Consul General in El Paso, Mauricio Barra, told the committee, urging New Mexico lawmakers to press for federal attention. Africa Cepeda, director for border affairs with Mexico's foreign ministry, said the San Geronimo plan is aligned with Mexico's larger national development program and asked for support "to make it happen on this side."

Chihuahua officials described the state's development plan (referred to as a "Well‑being Development Poll" or Polo de Desarrollo). Violeta Padilla, secretary of innovation and economic development for Chihuahua, told the panel the modernization plan seeks to increase cargo lanes and processing capacity and estimated an initial investment figure (presented on slides) of about $107,330,000 for related components. She said Chihuahua intends to fund an executive project once a binational master plan and terms of reference are finalized; the executive-project preparation was described as taking about eight months after funding and a university selection.

Why this matters: presenters said binational traffic growth and anticipated near‑shoring make modernization urgent. They emphasized coordinated planning across U.S., Mexican and state agencies, and asked New Mexico legislators to support matching or complementary U.S. investments and faster coordination with GSA, Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies.

What officials requested: consistent binational planning, help accessing U.S. federal resources for the U.S. side of the proposed San Geronimo modernization, and inclusion of the crossing in regional planning and funding priorities. Mexico's delegation and Chihuahua officials said they would continue work on their side of the border and look to U.S. partners to align investments.

Ending: The binational presenters asked the subcommittee to treat the Santa Teresa–San Geronimo corridor as a cross‑border economic development priority and to support faster, coordinated U.S. planning for port modernization.