Albuquerque renews sister city agreement with Chihuahua

Albuquerque and the city of Chihuahua leaders renewed their sister city commitment in a signing ceremony Monday.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and Chihuahua Vice Mayor René Xavier Chavira Venzor celebrated the 55-year sister city relationship in Albuquerque on Cinco de Mayo, the anniversary of Mexico’s victory in the Battle of Puebla. The renewed agreement focuses on economic development, cultural exchange and government collaboration.

“We’re seeing all across D.C. and across America so much divisive language and actions, and we felt it was important to highlight that in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it’s the opposite,” Keller said. “We really appreciate Mexico, and we love our sister cities in Chihuahua and Guadalajara.”

The sister city agreement with Chihuahua has helped Albuquerque improve public safety and solve crimes, he said, Chihuahua has a top notch real time crime center, which the Albuquerque Police Department visited over the course of six years to better understand before emulating a similar center here. APD learned about how Chihuahua’s law enforcement used license plate readers, gunshot detection and interoperable radios to ensure different departments could speak with each other.

“We’ve now replicated their crime center, and we’re using it every day to literally catch violent criminals,” Keller said.

Meanwhile, Chihuahua firefighters have received training from Albuquerque firefighters and equipment donations from the city, said Mexican Consul Patricia Pinzón.

The state of Chihuahua borders New Mexico to the south, and there are a significant number of former Chihuahua residents living in Albuquerque — about half of the people who visit the Mexican consulate in Albuquerque are from Chihuahua, Pinzón said.

That shared border makes it important to work on economic development together, said Yuriria Morales-Mangone, president of the sister cities committee.

Morales-Mangone is originally from Mexico and has lived in Albuquerque for almost 19 years, acquiring her U.S. citizenship last year. After the signing ceremony, she was recognized by the consul with a “Mexicanos Distinguidos” Award for excelling in her field of economic development and for extraordinary contributions to her country of residence that favorably impacted her community of origin.

The renewed sister city agreement is not just talk, Pinzón said. It includes specific goals: planning a cultural event and trade mission, launching educational exchange programs and developing a strategy to boost tourism for both cities, hosting a business roundtable for cross-border collaboration, and work on long-term workforce development. Meetings have already started with universities, including the University of New Mexico, to work on educational exchanges, Morales-Mangone said.

“We are living in global times that undoubtedly require effective cooperation at the local level more than ever,” Chihuahua Mayor Marco Bonilla said in a video message. “That is why the municipal government of Chihuahua renews its commitment to strengthening this alliance.”