ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Devorah Karren, Director of International Affairs for the Government of Nuevo León and Promotion Director for Port Colombia-Laredo, joins host David Romero at the Port Laredo Global Trade Summit 2026 to describe how a crossing that was, in her words, “completely abandoned” just a few years ago became “the fastest, safest, most efficient port on the entire U.S.-Mexico border right now.”
Port Colombia-Laredo is a separate international bridge from the main Port Laredo crossing, about 20 miles away, run by the Nuevo León state government. Karren walks through the build-out behind that turnaround: a master plan for the port built from scratch, and the Carretera a la Gloria — a highway promised for more than 30 years and finally delivered last year, 108 kilometers of concrete connecting Monterrey directly to the port without ever leaving Nuevo León or crossing another state. The result, she says, was a 264% jump in passenger crossings, with the port now handling roughly 8,000 vehicles a day in both directions.
The growth isn’t slowing down. Last year, President Trump personally approved the expansion of Port Colombia, adding two new international bridges — one dedicated to northbound cargo, one to southbound — which will bring the crossing to 16 total lanes for passengers and freight combined. Security has scaled up to match: from 35 officers when this administration started to more than 750 combined state police and National Guard personnel today.
Karren also talks about what keeps a border this active running smoothly day to day: Nuevo León’s representative office in Laredo doesn’t have its own building — it works out of the City of Laredo’s offices, by design. Born and raised in Monterrey and now based in Laredo, she describes the relationship between the two cities as a symbiosis: two economies functioning as one system, even on opposite sides of an international border.
Note: the interview is conducted in Spanish; this description is written in English.
In this episode
• How Port Colombia went from “completely abandoned” to one of the fastest-growing crossings on the border
• The governor’s master plan to build a full logistics city around the port — roads, boulevards, and signage, from scratch
• Carretera a la Gloria: the 108km highway that took 30 years to deliver, and the 264% jump in passenger crossings it produced
• Two new international bridges, approved last year, that will bring the crossing to 16 total lanes for cargo and passengers
• Growing border security from 35 officers to more than 750 combined personnel
• Why Nuevo León keeps its Laredo office inside City Hall, not a building of its own
• The “symbiosis” between Monterrey and Laredo — two economies functioning as one system
About the guest
Devorah Karren serves as Director of International Affairs for the Government of Nuevo León and Promotion Director for Port Colombia-Laredo, the international bridge connecting Nuevo León with Laredo, Texas, roughly 20 miles from the main Port Laredo crossing. Born and raised in Monterrey, she now lives and works in Laredo, representing Nuevo León’s interests on the U.S. side of the border.
Credits & links
Host: David Romero
Guest: Devorah Karren — Government of Nuevo León
Produced by: D111 FILMS U.S.A., in partnership with Port Laredo, driven by Brennan & Company
Recorded at: Port Laredo Global Trade Summit 2026, Laredo, Texas
Full episode (YouTube): https://youtu.be/apvp2OV6cB0
Contact: D111 FILMS U.S.A. · David Romero · (956) 256-4653 · d111filmsusa@gmail.com
