Although Mexico's maquiladora or in-bond plant system is an important and well-recognized component of Mexico …-U.S. trade, the connection between the acceleration in maquiladora growth and NAFTA is less clearly understood. A broad cross …-section of maquiladora observers - including journalists, political activists, industry analysts, and professors -- argue that …

cycle in four Texas border Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and Mexico. We then measure the degree of economic … relationships since 1994, the year in which NAFTA was enacted and the time maquiladora industry began to accelerate. …