SIA Applauds Next Step Towards USMCA Ratification

SILVER SPRING, Md. – The Security Industry Association (SIA) commends members of the administration and the U.S. House of Representatives for their bipartisan leadership in passing the much-anticipated United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The USMCA, the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), acknowledges thoughtful and necessary changes that will create a fair-trade landscape while upholding pro-business principles in removing unnecessary trade barriers. The trilateral trade agreement will benefit the North American security industry immensely, open new opportunities to stimulate job growth and expand business operations into existing and emerging markets.

Specifically, U.S. companies seeking to expand operations into Mexico or Canada can rely on robust intellectual property (IP) protections that curb IP theft and copyright infringements; removal of data localization requirements which forced U.S. companies to store collected data in the host country versus the United States; and efficient procurement policies that streamline and digitize communications, acquisition timelines and important transactional information.

In September 2019, SIA was proud to join with partners the Latin American Security Association (ALAS) and the Canadian Security Association (CANASA) in publishing a joint statement supporting the ratification of USMCA. SIA, ALAS and CANASA – the leading representation of the security industry in North America – collectively represent more than 2,500 companies with business operations located in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

“USMCA will benefit the security industry immensely by enabling our members to invest in new opportunities abroad,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “Companies have navigated through the digital economy for years, and USMCA’s predecessor, NAFTA, required significant reforms to reflect such a seismic shift. USMCA creates a more open trade landscape by upgrading out-of-date trade policies and removing barriers to entry.”

SIA encourages the Senate to act swiftly and ratify USMCA before submitting it to President Trump for his final approval.