Trump's threats to close the Mexican border cause stomach burns to the mayor of El Paso

EL PASO, Texas – In El Paso, about 15 million cars cross the US-Mexico border every year. Some 7 million people cross the ports of entry. Hundreds of thousands of trucks containing raw materials and finished goods cross the border. But what if all this ceases, if President Trump responds to his threats to close the borders?

"It gives me heartburn," said Dee Margo, Mayor of El Paso. "It is essential that our borders remain open."

At the border, the passages are big business. El Paso is a huge land port. Margo, a Republican, told Fox News that there were nearly 100 Fortune 500 companies having factories right on the border in Juarez. Raw materials from the United States are sent to Mexican factories and finished products are returned to the United States.

But it's not just business. It's also personal.

Ruby Contreras lives in El Paso with her 3 year old daughter. She told Fox News: "I'm worried because my family is there and it's hard for them to come here." She visits her family regularly and worries about her family if she can not not see her.

Sebastian Carrasco, a 19-year-old student who lives in Juarez but goes to school in El Paso, said, "There are people in El Paso who come and go every day. Everyday."

Most border towns are like El Paso, where many people live, work and shop on both sides of the border. For them, closing it would be unthinkable.

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"It stops lives," said Carrasco. "That's what it does. It stops lives.

If entry points were closed, trade experts warned that the repercussions would go far beyond border towns.

"Mexico is a major trading partner with the United States and an even bigger percentage with Texas," said Margo. With regard to a border closure? "We can not afford it."

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Many other Americans will also feel the effects, experts said. Nearly half of all vegetables and 40% of all fruit imported to the United States come from Mexico.

In addition, Mexico is the third largest trading partner of the United States, said the office of the US Trade Representative. In 2017, about $ 615.9 billion was traded between the two countries.