A man carries discarded boxes from an ap

Laredo, UNITED STATES: A man carries discarded boxes from an appliance store in Laredo, Texas 27 April 2006. The store, offering cheap electronics and appliances, named after a notorius flea market in Mexico City, is one among hundred of businesses that feed from the dependence and interaction of the economies of Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Even after recent announcements issued by US Governement warning citizens and travelers of the violent situation in northern Mexico, both economies continue to thrive with hundreds of businesses that provide consumer goods ranging from cheap imports from China as well as luxury items for Mexican upper class travelers. Some of the business owners interviewed expressed support for the boycott proposed by pro-immigrant organizations as a way to pressure lawmakers to pass immigrant-friendly legislation that might open the path to citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants. The number of illegal immigrants in the United States has grown to as many as twelve million people and they now account for about one in every twenty workers, following a recent report by the Pew Hispanic Institute. Efforts to curb illegal immigration have not slowed its pace, with an estimate 850,000 crossings last year. AFP PHOTO / HECTOR MATA (Photo credit should read HECTOR MATA/AFP via Getty Images)