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Group protests CAFTA at Ortiz’s office

By Chris Mahon
The Brownsville Herald

July 13, 2005 Four women staged a demonstration Tuesday afternoon on a North Brownsville boulevard to raise public aware-ness about the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement awaiting congressional approval.

Hortencia Armendariz and three friends stood on Ruben Torres Boulevard with signs and leaflets to hand out to passers-by about CAFTA and the North American Free Trade Agreement.

“We are afraid of the consequences of CAFTA,� Armendariz said. “It’s just an extension of NAFTA.�

The group protested in front of the Paseo Plaza Shopping Center and later took their demonstration to the office of U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi. Though Ortiz was not in the office, his spokeswoman offered a statement on his behalf.

“He (Ortiz) has always been for free trade. But because of the huge gaping holes on the border security, it has made him rethink whether we should have another free trade agreement,� said Cathy Travis, a spokeswoman for Ortiz in Washington, D.C.

“They are unrelated but … he sees those related since there is a common ground, which is the border,� she said.

Travis said the group dropped off a letter at the office for the congressman. The letter states that NAFTA has not helped the area and CAFTA wouldn’t either, Travis said.

“Border security is not being done very well and if in any way, he could encourage the administration to make border security better before implementing CAFTA,� Travis said.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, approximately 5,000 people in Brownsville and McAllen have applied for government assistance because of job losses attributed to NAFTA.

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If passed, CAFTA would unite Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica into one free trade zone with Mexico, the United States and Canada, eliminating tariffs between the member nations.

Proponents of the deal, including local developer Bill Hudson, argue that the elimination of trade barriers encourages growth.

“If you don’t like the expanded mall and diversity of shopping and dining experiences, you can go out and protest with these yo-yo’s,� Hudson said. “The global economy benefits everyone.�

Armendariz and her friends said they are protesting because they have friends and family who lost jobs due to NAFTA. They fear that CAFTA would cause more job losses.

The protesters hope proponents of the trade deal will look beyond the decreased cost to business when relocating a plant over-seas.

Armendariz says her cousin was laid off from her job as a seamstress at a local plant. She had to take a pay cut and now works for minimum wage, Armendariz says.

“It would be terrible to be laid off,� Hudson said. “It takes guts to change career paths.�

Before Armendariz and her fellow protesters entered Ortiz’s Brownsville office to voice their concerns, she reminisced on a fam-ily friend who lost his job and blames NAFTA. He was retrained as a mechanic, but now can’t find a job, she said. “Who wants to hire a 64-year-old mechanic?�

cmahon@brownsvilleherald.com

Brownsville Herald City Editor Gilberto Salinas contributed to this report.