For too long, debates over international trade have been dominated by corporate elites and economic ideologues, rather than rooted in the experiences of ordinary people. 

The Trade Stories Project allows people who have been affected by policies and institutions like NAFTA and the WTO to share their views on a matter crucial to the global economy. 

This includes displaced workers, farmers, small business owners and immigrants who have been typically excluded from the trade debate.

Felix Perez

Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico

Felix is an organizer within AIEB, the International Ecological Alliance of Bravo, an environmental group working along the Rio Grande.

 Hear part of Felix's story...

“The free trade agreement hasn’t done anything to favor or help environmental or workers’ rights.

“NAFTA has only very much benefited the businesses and foreign investors.  We talk about the maquiladora jobs it brought as like a painkiller.  It may take away your headache, but it doesn’t get to the root of the problem.

“Some people might say that the maquilas have helped, and it is true that they have helped provide jobs, but the salaries for those jobs are quite low and the contamination that is brought can be big.  Obviously, it varies, but it can be quite big.  So, in reality, Mexico gets pretty much next to nothing from this arrangement.

“Another thing to consider is that a lot of the primary materials that go into the maquilas are imported into Mexico.  The products don’t really stay here; they’re exported.  All of the profits that are made also get sent out of the country.  What we get is low-paying jobs.

“So as I said, the maquila is sort of like a painkiller for Mexico.  It helps, but it doesn’t solve the problem.  If there are protests, and people make demands, they’ll simply leave.  They won’t pay people compensation, and they’ll leave a total mess behind.  It’s basically free for them to operate here.  They get the best of everything…

“I believe that the Mexican government will not put pressure on maquiladoras in terms of environmental issues.  That’s because the businessmen, including Mexican businessmen, have very strong connections with the government and Mexican politicians.  These people, too, benefited from NAFTA.”