Tonala Mayor Sergio Chávez believes hardening attitudes toward Mexico in the United States is the reason why two containers of crafts from the Guadalajara suburb were detained at the U.S. border this week.
Municipal officials expressed surprise when the containers – each carrying artesania valued upward of $US15,000 – were refused entry into the United States, even though the corresponding paperwork was in order.
The shipment included an assortment of blown glass, ceramics and wooden furniture made in the crafts center.
Between three and six containers filled with various crafts leave Tonala each week for the United States, Chávez told local media. Regular shipments have headed north for many years, mostly to Texas and Illinois, he explained.
The mayor said it usually takes between three to four hours for a container to cross the border. However, on Wednesday of this week, Chavez said U.S. customs officers had retained the two containers from Tonala for four days.
Chavez said that since January 20 (the day of President Trump’s inauguration) U.S. authorities seem to have “increased the requirements for importing the products, from seven to 12.”
Nafta rules of origin dictate that all crafts imported into the United States from Mexico must be made from 100-percent Mexican materials. Ceramic items must be certified as free from lead.
Chavez said he hoped to meet with Jalisco’s secretary of Economic Development to discuss ways to address the problem.
The mayor also expressed his concerns that slapping an import tax on Mexican imports would be “extremely negative” for Tonala’s craftsmen.
Chavez said that around 30 percent of all artestania produced in Mexico originates in Tonala.
GR staff