Commentary: Here’s what both sides of the US-Mexico border fight keep forgetting

“Laredo is like the goose that lays the golden eggs,” says Alec Martinez, a local resident who has worked in city government. “Everyone is interested in the eggs, but no one cares about the goose.”

This border city has become the largest inland port in the nation. At the same time, much of Laredo’s historic downtown with its eclectic architecture, once a bustling business center, stands forlorn with inadequate residential housing and scattered shops. The flow of money has shifted from the city itself to the four international bridges tying the local economy to the crumbs of international trade. Homegrown