It means that shoppers and diners from Mexico will be able to venture into Las Cruces, Deming and Lordsburg, the three largest New Mexico cities on the border. Mexican nationals who have undergone background, fingerprint and security checks can obtain Border Crossing Cards that will give them access to all three towns.
El Paso, snug against Mexico, already is positioned for border commerce. Tucson, Ariz., also had an edge over the New Mexico cities, even though it is further from the Mexican border. That is because the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1999 issued a rule permitting a border zone up to 75 miles in Arizona. More