McAllen city officials are organizing a news conference in Monterrey next week after the governor there urged Mexican shoppers to boycott McAllen for 15 days to change the mind of President-elect Donald Trump.
Nuevo Leon Gov. Jaime Rodriguez urged the shopping ban for McAllen and South Padre Island, reportedly in response to Trump’s move this week to save jobs that had been headed to Nuevo Leon and keep them in Indiana, according to Breitbart news.
McAllen is a shopping destination in much of Mexico, and many from Nuevo Leon, especially Monterrey, shop at La Plaza Mall and elsewhere in McAllen. Rodriguez said not to spend money in the United States and that would change Trump’s opinion of Mexicans.
Casa McAllen, the Monterrey arm of McAllen’s Chamber of Commerce, has a quarterly news conference in Monterrey.
Nancy Millar from the Convention and Visitors Bureau said they are simply moving that quarterly news conference up to Thursday.
Monterrey is roughly 150 miles southwest of McAllen. Silvia Garza Mendez, the chamber’s employee in Monterrey, is working to set it up.
McAllen Mayor Jim Darling said Friday afternoon he was trying to get in touch with the mayor of Monterrey.
He was unsure why McAllen was singled out. Millar was not sure yet who from Monterrey or Nuevo Leon would be at the news conference.
Rodriguez said this on Dec. 1 at a presentation regarding Petro 7, a chain of gas stations connected to 7-Eleven.
