Mission Foods Texas Mexico Center

05/04/2026

Don't miss your chance to register for Texas-Mexico Energy Trade: Local and Global Impacts on May 8th.

Registration closes today May 4 at 5:00 p.m. ​

This forum will examine the deepening energy relationship between Texas and Mexico.

Hear from experts including Jesse Thompson (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas), Adrian de la Garza (Cemex), Adrian Duhalt (SMU Mission Foods Texas–Mexico Center), Andrew Zoeller (Energy Intelligence), Mark Roles (ONEOK), Alberto De La Pena (Haynes Boone), and keynote speaker Clay Seigle (CSIS).​
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Free event. Breakfast and lunch included. Seats are limited.​

Register here: https://cvent.me/Ey1obm

04/20/2026

Join the SMU Mission Foods Texas–Mexico Center and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas for a forum examining the deepening energy relationship between Texas and Mexico.​

Texas is one of the world’s largest energy-producing regions. The shale boom and prolific oil and gas production led to a resumption of oil exports in 2015 following the lifting of a 40-year-old federal ban. Petrochemical and natural gas exports also surged. In fact, Mexico’s electricity production today largely relies on imports of natural gas from Texas. Texas also refines Mexican oil and returns it in the form of gasoline. Over the past decade, Texas energy trade has grown exponentially. Newly built LNG export terminals along the Gulf Coast allow the sale of low-cost U.S. natural gas to high-priced global markets. While the benefits are significant, securing the energy supply chain is an increasingly important challenge.​​

Date: May 8​
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.​
Location: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 2200 N. Pearl St., Dallas, TX 75201​

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required, and seating is first-come, first-served.​

Register here: https://cvent.me/Ey1obm​

04/09/2026

We are pleased to highlight new research from Texas–Mexico Center Faculty Advisory Board member Dr. Jesus Cañas, alongside co-authors Isabel Brizuela, Luis Torres, and Diego Morales-Burnett from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

The article highlights how Ciudad Juárez is transitioning from a traditional manufacturing hub to a more advanced and modern production center that relies on higher-skilled labor and advanced machinery. While the city has experienced job losses, this shift reflects a broader move toward automation and higher-value industries, particularly in electronics and technology-related manufacturing.

This transformation matters because border cities in Mexico are deeply connected to Texas cities, forming an integrated manufacturing and trade corridor. Changes in the type of production and technology used in these regions can directly affect product prices, supply chains, job opportunities, and overall regional economic growth. More broadly, this shift illustrates how technology is reshaping jobs across industries and signals where the global economy is heading.

Read more:

Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, lost nearly one-fifth of its manufacturing jobs over a two-year period. The decline reflects the city’s move into higher value-added, less labor-intensive production of electronics and hardware demanded for the U.S.’s burgeoning data center buil...

03/31/2026

The Texas-Mexico Center congratulates Senior Fellow and Faculty Advisory Board member Dr. Raymond Robertson on receiving the 2026 AEJ Best Article Award, alongside Dr. Kaleb Abreha. Their paper, “Revisiting the Effects of Regional Trade Agreements Using Staggered Adoption Design,” was published in the September 2025 issue of AEJ, and we are proud to see this work recognized.

Their research shows that regional trade agreements meaningfully boost trade between countries, but the effects are not immediate. Instead, trade grows gradually over time as countries adjust, with increases reaching roughly 25–30% within a decade. The study also highlights that countries often begin adapting even before agreements formally take effect, underscoring the long-term and dynamic impact of trade policy.

This is important because it helps assess the effectiveness of regional trade agreements over time. It also shows how the measurement of these effects can influence overall policy conclusions.

Read more here: https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s11293-025-09828-0?sharing_token=HSdjePdCgODQZrY8TpBXlve4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY7VxL_1HYm4aZamHNFovQfhhyg8CESDL9O564hvGiaL-u4-z2qZ3Yz5YIVZAeYB41G_-iRsJzqj96K2ex0HjgT8Hh6CUM7W5yAAW9RjrRKzo-57WWe3gvjCq70Cf7aCsQ8%3D

AEJ Best Article Award: https://www.iaes.org/best-article-award/

03/23/2026

Join the SMU Mission Foods Texas–Mexico Center, in partnership with the Canada-Texas Chamber of Commerce and the North American Strategy for Competitiveness (NASCO) for Championing North America: The Trilateral Economy and the Power of Soft Diplomacy.​

The evening will feature two conversations exploring the history and future trajectory of USMCA and how the 2026 FIFA World Cup could strengthen economic ties and soft diplomacy across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Speakers will discuss the evolving dynamics of trilateral trade, regional economic growth, and the role of major international sporting events in strengthening cooperation across North America.​

We look forward to hearing from Luis Rodriguez Bucio, Consul General of Mexico in Dallas; Susan Harper, Consul General of Canada in Dallas; Raymond Robertson, Senior Fellow at the SMU Mission Foods Texas–Mexico Center; Andrew Lawson Carranco, Legislative Affairs Chair of the Laredo Chamber of Commerce; Doug McCullough, Director of the Canada-Texas Chamber of Commerce; Cullum Clark, Director of the Bush Institute–SMU Economic Growth Initiative; Erik Mora, Sports Director and Anchor at Telemundo 39; Monica Paul, Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission and President of the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee, and Courtney Weeks, Assistant Director of the SMU Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center.

Date: April 16​
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Collins Executive Education Center, 3150 Binkley Ave, Dallas, TX 75205

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Register here:​
https://booking.smu.edu/calendar/smutexasmexicocenter/ChampioningNorthAmericaTheTrilateralEconomy

03/04/2026

As Mexican IndyCar star Pato O’Ward prepares to compete in the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington, join the SMU Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center, the Bridwell Institute, and SMU Sport Management Program for a conversation on the rise of these international sports in DFW.​

Leaders from McLaren Racing and Major League Cricket will discuss the business, economics, and future of these fast-growing industries.​

📅 March 12​
📍 SMU Collins Executive Education Center​

Register here: ​
https://booking.smu.edu/calendar/smutexasmexicocenter/RisingSportsTexasEconomicForum

01/29/2026

Join us next week!

Register for our in-person or online research presentation on the Binational Responses to the Externalization of Asylum and Entrapment: The Case of Ciudad Juárez hosted by SMU Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center and El Seminario Migración, Desigualdad y Políticas Públicas.

The presentation will feature Dr. Isabel Gil Everaert (UNAM), who will share original research funded, commissioned, and supported by the SMU Mission Foods Texas–Mexico Center, examining binational responses to asylum externalization and migrant entrapment at the U.S.–Mexico border.

We hope to see you there!
See the invitation for a full list of speakers.

Date: Wednesday, February 4th, 2026.
Time: 12:00 –2:00p.m.
In person location: Sala Alfonso Reyes, El Colegio de México, Carretera Picacho Ajusco 20, Col. Ampliación Fuentes del Pedregal, C.P. 14110, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México

Virtual option:
If you are unable to join us in person, you can participate via YouTube. Please register and select “virtual” to receive the link by email.

Register here: https://booking.smu.edu/calendar/smutexasmexicocenter/BinationalMigrationAsylum

01/23/2026

It was a joy to collaborate with Mauricio Montemayor, founder of the Leaders Digital Board, for the dynamic conference “México Resiliente: Impulso Bilateral” in Monterrey—an event centered on Mexican resilience in the face of global economic and political shifts.

The opening panel focused on the strategic importance of Texas in the U.S.–Mexico relationship. Our Vice Chairman, David Salazar, set the stage by emphasizing the importance of Texas as the top U.S. trading state with Mexico—one of the key reasons GRUMA–Mission Foods made the long-term investment to establish the SMU Mission Foods Texas–Mexico Center, a policy-based research center dedicated to studying this vital bilateral relationship.

That conversation was followed by an outstanding panel featuring Larry Rubin MBA, President of the American Society of Mexico; Dr. Eugenio Reyes, World Trade Center; and Dr. Raymond Robertson, Senior Fellow at the SMU Mission Foods Texas–Mexico Center. Dr. Robertson emphasized a key takeaway: despite shifting political rhetoric, the Texas–Mexico, and the broader U.S.–Mexico, economic relationship remains deep, interdependent, and durable, grounded in decades of shared trade, investment, and human capital.

We were honored to see this conversation receive broad and enthusiastic media coverage across leading print, digital, and broadcast outlets, including El Norte and Reforma (coverage by Alfredo González and Silvia Olvera), as well as Milenio, Telediario, POSTA Nuevo León, and televised and digital video segments highlighting the importance of the Mexico–Texas relationship in the context of trade and regional competitiveness.

🔗 El Norte:
https://lnkd.in/gFRUFn6s

🔗 Reforma:
https://lnkd.in/gphtNuYb

🔗 Milenio:
https://lnkd.in/gmf5f42J

🔗 Telediario:
https://lnkd.in/gF4ZN4pq

🔗 POSTA Nuevo León:
https://lnkd.in/gW3hddwU

🔗 Video Coverage:
https://lnkd.in/ghwNaySv

We are grateful to everyone who helped make this conversation possible, and we are excited to continue advancing thoughtful, research-driven dialogue on resilience and the future of the Texas–Mexico partnership.

01/15/2026

We are a week away!

If you haven’t already registered, join us in Monterrey next week for "Resilient Mexico: Bilateral Momentum" a one day conference on Mexico’s economic resilience and the future of bilateral collaboration with Leaders Digital Board and Universidad Regiomontana (U-ERRE).

Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026 | 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium, U-ERRE Central Campus
C. Mariano Matamoros 430, Col. Centro, 64000 Monterrey, N.L., Mexico

Dr. Raymond Robertson, Senior Fellow at the SMU Mission Foods Texas–Mexico Center, will participate in the Texas-Mexico 5.0 panel and share expert insight on competitiveness, trade, and labor market dynamics.

This event brings together senior executives, policymakers, and academic experts to explore business development in Mexico, its global outlook, and strategies to strengthen regional development.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gXA8j7kp

01/12/2026

With the closing of the Laura Wilson: Roaming Mexico exhibit yesterday (January 11), we extend our sincere thanks to the Meadows Museum for making this interdisciplinary event possible. In particular, we are grateful to Amanda Dotseth, Director of the Meadows Museum, for her thoughtful insights highlighting how the arts reflect society including economic realities and to Carrie Sanger and the Meadows Museum team for their collaboration in bringing this event together.

We are deeply thankful to photographer Laura Wilson, whose powerful work and passion for Mexico inspired meaningful dialogue, and to Jesus Cañas, Senior Business Economist and Faculty Board Member of the SMU Mission Foods Texas–Mexico Center, for providing a compelling economic framework that underscored the social and regional dynamics embedded in the photography.