Nuevo León Governor García Pitches $17B

Nuevo León Governor Samuel García announced a $17 billion infrastructure push to tighten the Mexican state's economic ties with Texas. He made the pitch at the 2026 North American Development Bank (NADBank) Summit in San Antonio on Thursday, aiming to capitalize on surging cross-border freight and nearshoring trends.

García's vision centers on further integrating what he called the "Gold Triangle" between Monterrey, Houston, and Dallas. He said commercial traffic through the state's Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge has exploded from roughly 800 freight movements per day in 2022 to more than 10,000 daily. "Imagine the amount of commerce, revenue, money," García said.

Infrastructure and Investment Drive

The governor described plans for two additional border crossings, including a freight crossing and the proposed Green Corridors project. He framed this against what he described as an unprecedented investment wave, claiming the state has attracted $135 billion in foreign direct investment during roughly four years of his administration. He contrasted this with $11 billion during the previous governor's six-year term.

García said Nuevo León accounts for about 14% of Mexico's imports and exports. The state has added seven highways and expanded airport infrastructure, increasing direct flights to the United States by about 40. "We're trying to have more business in logistics," he stated.

Security as a Selling Point

García emphasized security as a critical component for attracting foreign manufacturers and logistics companies. "Every company we invite to Nuevo León, the first thing they ask is, what about safety?" he said.

He detailed the state's expanded police capabilities, including an aviation division with 10 helicopters and a heavy-duty division with 100 trucks. García said Nuevo León stations law enforcement near border crossings and deploys roughly 200 to 300 officers to patrol major highways. The strategy aims to reassure manufacturers and carriers that freight can move safely between industrial areas around Monterrey and the Texas border.

Targeting Logistics at the Border

One key initiative involves a new industrial development zone near the Colombia border crossing. García said the project is part of the federal government's Plan México initiative, which offers significant tax incentives. Nuevo León plans to open a roughly 40-hectare industrial zone there with new highway infrastructure.

García pitched the location directly to U.S. Manufacturers and logistics companies whose primary business involves assembling products in Mexico and shipping them back. "If any Texan, if any U.S." he argued. Warehousing development is already increasing around the border, he noted.

The state is also developing a larger, roughly 988-acre industrial zone in Pesquería, near automotive manufacturing operations including Kia and Ternium. García said approximately 400 Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers from the U.S. And Asia are already clustered around the area's automotive industry.

He cited Tesla as an example of deep integration with Texas, stating that about 65% of the components used in Tesla's Model Y produced in Austin come from Monterrey-area suppliers. "That's how deep we are connected with Texas," García said.

The governor acknowledged rapid growth has created infrastructure challenges. The Monterrey metropolitan area's population has reached roughly 6 million, he said, while the number of vehicles has grown from about 2 million to 3.5 million over the past decade. Nuevo León is responding with highway construction and public transportation investments.

García's presentation concluded with an optimistic note on cross-border cooperation. "If both winners share technology, share companies, share this cooperation, I think that the best is yet to come."