International Ports
Key Port Position in the Southwest
Nogales, Arizona is the exclusive gateway for international interstate, air and rail service along 700-miles of the U.S.- Mexico border between Texas and California. This gateway community hosts five international ports: the Morley Port of Entry (pedestrian), DeConcini Port of Entry (pedestrian, passenger vehicle, train), Mariposa Port of Entry (all modes including trucks), the Nogales International Airport, and a cattle gate for livestock crossing. In 2015, upgrades to the Mariposa Port of Entry increased capacity to over 4,000 truck inspections/day and included 12 privately-owned vehicle lanes, 8 commercial inspection lanes and 13 additional docks for northbound inspections.
Nogales remains the primary Arizona port for volume and revenue, and has seen remarkable improvements to the Mariposa Port and highway infrastructure to support growth of commerce. Today, the DeConcini (rail) and Mariposa (truck) crossings are competing with major infrastructure improvements in Texas and Mexico that are yielding increases in activity through Texas for more direct access to the central and eastern US.
Of the 26 ports of entry from Texas to California, 21 cross trucks and 7 cross trains.
Transportation Infrastructure Serves North American Trade Volume
Nogales, Arizona’s competitive advantage lies with the combination of rail and road infrastructure to serve significant international trade volume between Mexico, the Western US and Canada. The community is positioned at the U.S. southern entry of the CANAMEX trade corridor connecting Western Canada with Mexico’s Pacific Coast and Mexico City.
The Nogales International Airport (NIA) offers essential support to the maquilas for expedited air transport of freight. Customs services are provided at the airport with 1-hour notice prior to entering US airspace. NIA has the capacity to land a Boeing 737.
U.S. Cities By Border Crossing Volume
Port Name
TX: Laredo
CA: Otay Mesa
TX: El Paso
TX: Hidalgo
CA: Calexico East
AZ: Nogales
TX: Brownsville
TX: Eagle Pass II
Trucks
1,947,846
810,193
759,125
530,093
325,243
312,010
209,989
136,506
Rank (Trucks)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Trains
3,758
205
1,434
0
252
795
685
2,728
Rank (Trains)
1
7
3
8
6
4
5
2
Mariposa POE—Most Modern, Efficient U.S.-Mexico Crossing
The state of the art expanded Mariposa Port of Entry at the U.S.–Mexican border in Ambos Nogales offers direct, high capacity, fast access for both northbound and southbound trade. The most modern, efficient port of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border, 85 percent of commercial trucks between Mexico and Arizona pass through the Mariposa POE.
The Mariposa Port of the Future is “green” and designed to be friendly to both the environment and the people who use it. The port’s structure is LEED certified and incorporates features such as a solar domestic hot water system, rain water harvesting system, advanced lighting and building automation systems, as well as recycled content materials selections and low maintenance finishes.
Learn more about Nogales, Arizona’s ports of entry at the Greater Nogales-Santa Cruz County Port Authority website.