Why southern border towns are frustrated by the immigration debate

The U.S.-Mexico border arsenic described connected the run trail aliases seen on nan news tin easy create a image of each separator towns arsenic lawless and chaotic. 

But nan reality is much nuanced, arsenic a CBS News unit learned during a 1,600-mile travel from McAllen, Texas, to nan California coast.

Laredo, Texas, was classed arsenic 1 of nan safest cities successful nan state, according to study from nan CBS News information team. Mayor Victor Trevino said his metropolis is not nan Wild West he often sees depicted. 

"The cartels, there's crime and this and that, which is not true," Trevino told CBS News. 

He points to a different benignant of surge, successful which $320 cardinal successful microchips, nutrient and General Motors and Tesla car parts travel by train and motortruck annually done nan Port of Laredo, America's busiest larboard of entry.

About 500 miles west, successful Presidio, Texas, edifice proprietor Hector Armendariz sees group leaving Presidio for amended paying jobs, including his 3 children.
 
"They've near and they don't travel back," Armendariz said. "All our kids time off and they don't travel back."
 
Presidio Mayor John Ferguson says nan section system relies connected hundreds of Mexican citizens who legally transverse nan separator each time to activity successful restaurants aliases lipid fields. Ferguson believes Presidio would beryllium successful "serious trouble" if it was harder for Mexican residents to travel crossed nan separator to work.

"Like, you know, nan pandemic, wherever you didn't person capable workers and things would slow down and...certain sectors mightiness benignant of barren up," Ferguson said.

Philip Skinner, politician of Columbus, New Mexico, says that without separator trade, galore separator towns would shrink, and that would travel pinch unexpected consequences. For example, Skinner explains, location are nary dentists successful Columbus, but location are astir 10 dentists conscionable crossed nan separator successful Puerto Palomas, Mexico. Columbus residents who request dental activity will recreation to Mexico, Skinner said.

Arizona borders Mexico for much than 350 miles and it is simply a drug smuggling hotspot. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, successful nan 2024 fiscal year, 66% of nan fentanyl seized connected nan U.S.-Mexico separator happened successful nan Tucson sector, which covers each nan separator ports successful Arizona.

Donald Huish, politician of Douglas, Arizona, was successful favour of nan bipartisan Senate separator measure that has been beforehand and halfway of nan statesmanlike campaign. The measure died aft disapproval from erstwhile President Donald Trump.

"It would thief us, because we would've had much Border Patrol agents," Huish said. "...I tin understand why group didn't for illustration nan full bill, but why extremity talking astir it?"

Frustration is everyplace on nan border, including for Mark Dannels, sheriff of Arizona's Cochise County, who struggles pinch nan influx of supplier mules and quality smugglers.

Dannels says he isn't needfully optimistic aliases pessimistic astir Cochise's future, conscionable uncertain.

"It's much of an chartless because authorities and nan state is truthful divided correct now," Dannels said.

In:
• Immigration
• New Mexico
• Arizona
• United States Border Patrol
• Texas
• U.S.-Mexico Border
• 2024 Elections