About 100 people from Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, attended a community discussion titled "Trade & Trust" on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. The event was hosted by Puente News Collaborative, the PBS Public Editor and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. The Eagle Pass Business Journal was the local host.
The discussion covered the future of Eagle Pass and international trade, including the Puerto Verde Global Trade Bridge Project. The project would include two international bridges, one for commercial vehicles and one for railroad traffic. Reporters Jason Buch, Benjamin Wermund and Alfredo Corchado, who wrote an investigative story on the project in July 2025, returned to Eagle Pass to talk about their reporting. The story ran in the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News.
PBS Public Editor Ricardo Sandoval moderated the event and explained its ground rules. Other speakers included representatives of Empire Industrial Park, Port EPN and the Border Organization. After the presentations, audience members asked questions and shared opinions.