Just two days ago, I was in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. It is right up against, its twin, Nogales, Arizona.
The border ports of entry–there are three –were a mess. It was not because of a crisis. It was the result of thousands of people legally entering and exiting Mexico. The lines of vehicles and people were hundreds of yards long. The mass movement went non-stop all day.
Had one of the many politicians jaunting off to the border to see a “crisis” first-hand come to Nogales, they would have been disappointed. As is true of the border in general, Nogales is always bustling. American residents go south for bargain medical treatment, vacations or to visit family. Mexicans typically travel north to snag all manner of bargains, like clothes and household appliances.
Several U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement agents lounged about, chatting with each other. There was zero sense of crisis. I have crossed the border thousands of times, my ancestors from Chihuahua did the same, starting nearly 200 years ago. For us, the Mexican-United States border is a natural commercial juncture. Last year trade between Mexico and the U.S. totaled $855 billion. That trade happens at the border.
European Americans are terrified at the reality of millions of brown people flowing into the United States. The demographic shift is unstoppable. People are going to get to where they want to go, regardless of laws, cops and politicians.
Ricardo Chavira Chicano 