Border Business as Usual
For at least the 130th time in the last seven years, today I walked back and forth across the 10th busiest port of entry. I had some affairs to attend to on the Mexican side, which I took care of in about 90 minutes.
I then walked up to one of several kiosks where United States Customs and Border Patrol agents sit, reviewing immigration documents. The young agent whom I encountered asked the usual questions. Did I have anything to declare? What was the purpose of my stay in Mexico?
Then we made small talk about the weather. Rain is likely, relief from the broiling heat. He smiled and waved me through.
What’s my point? If you believe the politicos and xenophobes, I had put my life at risk. It was a miracle I came back safe and sound.
In truth, there are parts of the American city where I live that are no-go zones because of rampant violent crime.
It would be great to see anti-migrant bureaucrats do what I did today. But they won’t because the optics would not fit their dark narrative.
Ricardo Chavira Chicano 