American citizens who work in border towns are moving to Mexico and regularly commuting into the U.S. to escape the affordability crisis gripping the States.
Laredo, Texas, is the capital of Webb County, a heavily Latino district that voted decisively for Joe Biden in 2020 before backing President Donald Trump in 2024.
But some of the city’s 255,000 residents are now regretting their choice—and taking drastic steps in response to a cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by Trump’s war in Iran and crushing tariffs on imported products, The Telegraph reported.
The paper spoke to multiple U.S. citizens who have moved to Mexico since Trump was re-elected and now commute up to an hour each way for work or school in the U.S.
Wages are higher in Texas, but rent and groceries are far cheaper across the border. On average, Mexico’s cost of living is 45 percent lower than the U.S., according to The Telegraph.
Residents repeatedly cited gas as their biggest daily expense, with some blaming the war in Iran.
Gas prices have shot up by more than 30 percent since Trump attacked Tehran more than six months ago, leading the Iranian regime to block the Strait of Hormuz.
The national average heading into Labor Day was $4.15 per gallon, setting a new record for the holiday weekend, according to data from AAA. Diesel hit an all-time high of $5.85 per gallon on Friday.
“Before the war, prices were already high, but now gas is just so expensive,” taxi driver Jesus Alvarado told The Telegraph. “I voted for Trump, but who wants a war? The way prices have gone up has put people off.”
He added that he was “not happy with Trump” and would probably vote Democratic in the midterms after the president failed to tamp down inflation.
Trade restrictions and Trump’s immigration crackdown have also led to less cross-border traffic, with some Laredo establishments reporting up to 35 percent less business as a result.
Last year, 46 percent of all U.S.-Mexico cargo moved by truck passed through the city, or $296.2 billion worth of freight. It was also common for Mexican tourists to come to the U.S. to shop and visit family.
Now, fewer truckers and tourists alike are making the trip to Laredo.
“Absolutely, I regret voting for Trump,” bar owner Quique Pantoja told The Telegraph. “It seems like every day there’s something going on.”
A local high school principal said he thought many voters had embraced Trump because illegal immigration along the border had gotten out of control, but now the pendulum has swung “too far the other way” since Trump’s return to office.
Texas Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico has been trying to win back disillusioned Latino voters along the border, promising to restore cross-border trade and lower tariffs on products from Mexico.
Polling shows him neck-and-neck with his Republican opponent, the state’s scandal-plagued attorney general Ken Paxton.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
