Matamoros and Brownsville move in sync as cross-border industrial corridor takes shape

MATAMOROS — For decades, Brownsville and Matamoros have been linked by trade, labor, and family ties. Yet their economies often grew on separate tracks — Matamoros driven by maquiladora manufacturing, Brownsville by logistics, energy, and aerospace. Now, a combination of nearshoring, new infrastructure, and cross-border coordination is turning those long-standing connections into a deliberate industrial strategy.

That new alignment — one that mirrors the long-standing collaboration between McAllen and Reynosa — is reshaping how this stretch of the border competes for global investment.

McAllen–Reynosa has long set the standard for binational coordination, with more than 150 maquiladoras and one of the densest cross-border logistics networks in North America. Brownsville and Matamoros, by contrast, developed in parallel for decades — until nearshoring pressures began pulling their industries, ports, and supply chains toward integration.

“Confidence in companies established in Matamoros continues to grow. There are expansions, new projects, and developing supply chains,” said Macario Farías, president of the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry (CANACINTRA Matamoros). “On this border, we have a qualified workforce and companies that deliver, which generates certainty to attract global investment.”