Part 3/8:
The relationship is further complicated by economic metrics, notably a staggering trade deficit with Mexico, which currently stands at approximately $150 billion annually. This figure, as Hanson elaborates, reflects a longstanding trend that many had anticipated post-NAFTA. He recalls the ominous predictions made by Ross Perot in the 1990s regarding the so-called "big sucking sound" of jobs lost to Mexico—a prediction that has seemingly come to fruition. By 2024, the deficit is projected to reach $168 billion, which does not factor in an additional $63 billion sent back to Mexico in remittances from undocumented Mexican workers residing in the United States.