Trumps Tariffs Add to Challenges for Laredo, the Nations Top Port [Video]

On a recent Saturday, customs broker JD Gonzalez was enjoying a brief reprieve from his phone “ringing off the hook” since the beginning of February, after President Trump signed an executive order to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports.

Gonzalez’s brokerage operates out of a 25,000-square-foot warehouse on Laredo’s west side, which was once the center of the area’s trade-related businesses, before industrial parks began springing up to the north. His office is lined with pictures of him with dignitaries, including Senator John Cornyn. There’s also a framed mountain biker’s jersey. “That’s from winning the 2010 state championship for a time trial, basically how fast can you ride in twenty-five miles,” he explains. 

He’s been in business since 1994, the same year as the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which phased out almost all tariffs between Canada, Mexico, and the United Sates. He helps …