The Rio Grande, which marks the boundary between the U.S. At ground level, though, an increasingly militarized border divides them.

El Paso, with its quiet suburbs, and Juárez, with its lively plazas, have a combined population of 2.5 million people, many of whom lead lives that straddle both sides. From a bird’s eye view, the two meld together seamlessly. By population, it’s the second-largest urban area on the U.S.-Mexico border, after San Diego and Tijuana, but it’s arguably the most tightly connected part of the 2,000-mile boundary. Perhaps no other two cities represent the overlap of nations like El Paso and Juárez. and Mexico to shop, work, visit family, and get an education. Ashley is just one student amid the daily back and forth of people crossing between the U.S. Annually, more than $80 billion in international trade moves across this part of the border and into Texas. On average, more than 35,000 passenger vehicles make this northbound journey into El Paso each day, along with nearly 20,000 pedestrians. plans to add 450 miles of border wall this year, life between Mexico and the U.S. Most of these cross-border students, known as transfronterizos, attend elementary and high school.

border each day for school, not just into Texas, but also California, New Mexico, and Arizona. An estimated 40,000 children cross the U.S. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Įvery day, Ashley makes this crossing to get to high school.

Caught between two worlds i.c.u.