“The Secretary of State of The United States of America hereby requests all whom it may concern to permit the citizen/national of The United States of America named herin to pass without delay or hinderance and in case of need to give all lawful aid in protection.”
– PASSPORT, United States of America

“The American Frontier is sharply distinguished from the European frontier, a fortified line running through dense populations. The most significant thing about the American frontier is that is lies at the hither edge of a free land.”
– Fredrick Jackson Turner The Frontier Thesis in American History (1883)

“Boquillas is a Mexican town. For an international adventure, ferry across the Rio Bravo del Norte (the Mexican name for the Rio Grande) and hire a burro or stroll uphill into the village. Enjoy the different culture and welcoming spirit of our neighbors.”
– interpretive sign at the Boquillas overlook in Big Bend National Park

“Reporting requirements for individuals: 1) Enter the United States only at a border crossing point designated by the Secretary, and present themselves, and all articles accompanying them for inspection to the customs officer at the customs facility designated for that crossing point.”
– U.S. Code Title 19 Section 1459

“Señor Bin Laden changed things.”
–Victor, a resident of Boquillas, Coahuila, Mexico

This month the Gazette presents the first of several articles relating to the current state of affairs along the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo, the “border” between the states of Texas, Chihuahua, and Coahuila. I have used quotation marks for the word border because this region has long been called “La Frontera,” an area encompassing both sides of the river that was in a true sense a frontier to local residents, a border to those in Washington, D.C. and Mexico City.

La Frontera was a confluence, where people came together, mixing language, food, blood, family and love.

It was a place where people shared hope, fate and destiny.
What was mixed was not always legal: marijuana and cocaine flowed across the river, as it does to this day.

The contraband of today is potentially far more dangerous than the contraband of yesterday.

Today, what does not flow across the river -- in places like La Linda, Boquillas/Rio Grande Village, Paso Lajitas/Lajitas, San Carlos, and Santa Elena -- is people.

On September 11, 2001 things changed, as they did on May 10, 2002 when the U.S. Border Patrol began, suddenly and without warning, to enforce a long-existing yet un-enforced law, which barred all entry into the United States not done at an official border crossing.

So unenforced was this law the National Park Service had encouraged visitors to cross into Mexico to enjoy “an international experience.”

This is a complex issue. This is an issue effecting people on all levels, private and public: families, businesses, and communities of friends.

It is also a complex issue potentially affecting national security, and potentially affecting people and places far from La Frontera.

In this issue, staff writer Sharon Collyer explores what has changed for people in Boquillas.

In future issues we will report on: efforts to reform the current border closure and help citizens of beleaguered towns in Mexico; the results of our interviews conducted with state, consular, and federal officials in both the U.S and Mexico.

We will also report from Texas and Mexican villages on life in the post-May 10, 2002 world.

As always, we encourage debate and dialogue and will use these pages as a forum for discussion of this profound and complex issue.

–John Waters, Publisher