Border & Immigration

He Walks The Line

Silvestre Reyes has a plan for the border.

A Tale of Two Cities

To residents of Presidio and Ojinaga, the international border that separates them had always seemed irrelevant. They crossed it easily, spoke the same language, and considered themselves part of the same community. When Mexican authorities wrongly imprisoned a Texas grocer in April, that relationship changed dramatically—and it hasn't been the

The Crossing

If U.S. officials put an end to illegal trips across the Rio Grande at Boquillas, the enchanting border town will find itself caught between countries and cultures. Of course, that’s where it has always been.

Shooting on the Border

THERE IS AN OBLIGATORY SCENE in every movie about the border between Texas and Mexico: A man draws a line in the dirt with his boot. The line means something different in each movie, and yet, there it is, a narrow little rut in the ground that the characters gesture

Roaring Twenties

An Armey of opposition to the House majority leader; a spirited response to a Christian’s plea for understanding.

Great Mexpectations

Judith Sanders-Castro

Keeping up the good fight.

Faces of the Border

To those who live on Mexico’s side of the Rio Grande, posing for portraits is not an occasion for smiles.

The Work of The Devil

The disappearance of a University of Texas student in Matamoros led police to the discovery of a drug-dealing cult whose rituals were not only unholy but unthinkable.

The Prophets

The border’s self-appointed problem solvers promise new industry, more jobs, and better schools. So why won’t anyone listen to them?

Madonna of the Maquiladora

While U.S. businessmen and Mexican bureaucrats see her as the answer to their economic prayers, factory worker Graciela Fernández just tries to get by—on about 66 cents an hour.

The Last of the Border Lords

In his dream to create a dynastic empire along the Rio Grande, Chito Longoria went against the wishes of his family and the values of his native land.

And a Piñata in a Pear Tree

In eight square blocks of Nuevo Laredo you can sample a cactus taco, hone your bargaining skills, and buy the best Christmas gifts on the border.

No-Man’s-Land

To Texans, it’s the border. To Mexicans, it’s la frontera. It’s a hot, dazzling world where cultures clash and you’re never sure just where you stand.

River of Blood

The race war on the range.

Ambient Color

As these photographs show, in Mexico the strange is commonplace, and the commonplace, strange.

Give Me a Job

In my village in Oaxaca I had heard about those who made it big in El Norte, and I wanted to become one of them. But I didn’t know how hard life in Houston would be without papers, money, or a job.

Take Me Across the River

The writer had no papers, but he wanted to get from Mexico to Houston. His best chance was to put his passage into the hands of a coyote, for a fat fee.

Pancho Villa’s Last Gasp

In death as in life, the Mexican revolutionary is still causing trouble. This time the border skirmish is over his death mask.

Immigrants

From all over the world, people are coming to Houston to find a better life. For a few of them—immigrants from Poland, Nigeria, and El Salvador—this is what it’s like.

Town Without Pity

Nuevo Laredo’s Boys’ Town, where lost innocence meets failed dreams.

The Promised Land

Two men from Mexico inherit the legacy of all immigrants—grueling labor, low pay, and a bleak existence on the edge of the American dream.

The Streets of Laredo

The real Nuevo Laredo isn’t George Washington’s Birthday, Boystown, or throngs of tourists; it’s the street life.

The Last Frontier

The pioneers who came to tame the West met their match in the land of ‘Giant.’

The Long Road North

Across the river and into the brush; an eyewitness account of the journey of two wetbacks.

The Cactus Curtain

The word going across the border is: Uncle Sam doesn’t want you.

All Roads Lead From Roma

What’s good for marijuana is good for Starr County.

The Great Border Bazaar

We walk the line for you—from Matamoros to Juárez—to bring you the best of Mexican shopping.

Busting Out of Mexico

Two self-styled Texas soldiers of fortune engineered one of the more bizarre jailbreaks in history. Here’s how it happened.

The Newest Americans

Pity the poor Vietnamese: so far from home, so close to Beaumont.

Wetback

What makes them swim the Rio Grande?