DOT decision will hurt Latino communities

The Latino community is the fastest-growing population in North Carolina, accounting for 11% of our population. About half of that group identifies as Mexican. So, the tentative decision by the U.S. Department of Transportation to terminate approval of the joint cooperation agreement between Delta Air Lines and Aeroméxico is a point of concern for the Latino community in our state.

Terminating this strategic partnership threatens to cancel nearly two dozen flight routes between the U.S. and Mexico. In North Carolina specifically, a flight between Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) is made possible through this alliance and could be on the chopping block if the DOT’s decision is made final.

Last year, more than 440,000 passengers flew on the RDU-MEX route, including many in our Latino communities with family and friends who still reside in Mexico. The RDU-MEX flight is a valuable link to their heritage and culture, and we should help facilitate this connection that makes North Carolina diverse. If the route between Raleigh and Mexico City is canceled, it leaves them with fewer options to visit home and could make travel unaffordable.

Canceling this flight would also undermine our businesses and hurt our economy. Many of our state’s top companies, particularly in the technology and manufacturing sectors, need easy and affordable access to Mexico to support their business operations. Mexico is the United States and North Carolina’s largest trade partner, which supports more than 150,000 state jobs. Making business travel more costly could be detrimental to these businesses, affecting the jobs that hardworking Latino families need.

Recent estimates suggest the loss of the routes supported by this JCA will threaten nearly 4,000 jobs in the United States and more than $300 million in GDP. Most of this loss comes in the tourism industry — a key sector of North Carolina’s economy — where estimates show that $200 million would be lost.

In fact, more than 227,000 North Carolinians are employed by the tourism industry. Additionally, the visitor economy accounts for 6.2% of total employment in the state. Limiting the number of flights to and from Mexico will deal an unnecessary blow to this vital piece of our economy.

While the DOT should use its regulatory authority to hold Mexico to the terms of the U.S.-Mexico air services agreement, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg should seek other avenues to reach this diplomatic goal. North Carolina’s Latino community and businesses shouldn’t be harmed in the process.

Ricky Hurtado is chair of Gov. Roy Cooper’s Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs.

The post DOT decision will hurt Latino communities first appeared on Restoration NewsMedia .