Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
LAREDO, Texas – Port of Laredo ranked third among U.S. trade gateways in 2025 after holding the top position for two consecutive years, as sharp increases in specific commodities at major airports altered national rankings.
According to an analysis by Daniel Cobarruvias, Laredo recorded total trade of $354.65 billion in 2025, a 4.5% increase from the previous year, with imports rising 7.8%. He stated that the port “still set a record” despite dropping behind two major air cargo hubs.
Cobarruvias is an internationally recognized U.S.-Mexico cross-border trade thought leader and Logistechs expert focused on Industry 4.0, digital transformation, and advanced technologies. He serves as Director of the Texas Center at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) Sanchez School of Business, where he works with organizations to modernize cross-border trade through technology-driven strategies, economic analysis, and applied research.
His work includes leading the TAMIU Logistechs Living Lab, which integrates artificial intelligence, IoT, and blockchain into supply chain operations. He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, PBS, and Texas Standard, and authored “Navigating the New Era of U.S.-Mexico Trade.” He also serves on the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the ASTM International F49 Committee on Digital Supply Chain. He has also advised Mexico’s Ministry of Economy and served as Secretary of Economic Development in Nuevo Laredo.
O’Hare International Airport ranked first with $423 billion in trade, followed by John F. Kennedy International Airport at $384 billion. Cobarruvias attributed the shift to what he described as “three commodity shocks” that temporarily boosted totals at specific locations.
At JFK, imports of gold classified under HS Chapter 71 nearly doubled to $120 billion, accounting for 59% of the airport’s imports in 2025. At O’Hare, imports of organic chemicals under HS Chapter 29 rose from $19.92 billion to $59.27 billion, an increase of 197.6%, driven by demand for pharmaceutical ingredients used in drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro.
Cobarruvias said these ingredients are produced at facilities operated by Eli Lilly in Ireland and by Novo Nordisk in Denmark and are transported by air through Chicago.
At Laredo, growth was tied to rising shipments of artificial intelligence hardware. Imports of data processing units and servers, classified under HS code 8471, increased from $6.06 billion in 2023 to $30.83 billion in 2025. Cobarruvias said companies, including Foxconn, Inventec, Wiwynn, and Quanta Computer, are assembling advanced systems in Mexico using Nvidia chips, with shipments crossing through Laredo.
He wrote that “strip those three out, and the 2025 ranking looks roughly like it always has,” suggesting that the changes reflect sector-specific spikes rather than a broad shift in trade patterns.
Meanwhile, the Port of Los Angeles saw imports decline by $26 billion, or 8.8%, with decreases reported in toys, iron and steel articles, and furniture. Cobarruvias described this as reflecting the impact of tariffs on goods from China.
Despite the change in ranking, Laredo’s core trade sectors continued to expand. Machinery imports increased 41%, and electronics rose 11%, indicating sustained growth in U.S.-Mexico manufacturing trade. Cobarruvias concluded that the port “is being lapped by commodity waves it was never going to carry,” while its industrial base remains strong.
