Below are some archives of letters to the editor that Stan has chosen to answer with open responses. November 30, 1995 The Struggle Curious, it seems. My wife and I were on a bus... read more

Recent events have placed migration in Mexico's political spotlight. High-level discussions between political leaders throughout North America underscore the great changes taking place. The Web provide... read more

The borderlands shared by Mexico and the United States make up one of the world's most dynamic regions. Communities have used the Web to further not only a cross-border exchange but also as a means to ... read more

Based on a true story.   By Julie Black © 1999 All Rights Reserved. Oh, Mexico, he thought to himself, the azure sky that meets the silhouette of red tiled roofs, central patios overflowing with t... read more

This is the story of a group of men who have become known as the Yuma 14. They are the fourteen illegal immigrants who died attempting to cross the Arizona border in May, 2001. And what a terrible and upsetting story it is. Unknown numbers of these illegal immigrants die every year making the dangerous crossing on foot over one of the most inhospitable stretches of terrain in the world. But the Yuma 14 constituted the largest known number of such immigrants to die at one time. read more

The action never stops at the border. There is no other place like it on the globe. The international boundary stretches for almost two thousand miles, from the Pacific Ocean through the mountains, the deserts, the valleys of the Rio Grande to the Gulf of Mexico. The region is a vast world unto itself. And the westernmost, fourteen-mile strip between San Diego and Tijuana, the border's biggest and richest cities, is the most intense microcosm of that world. The U.S. Border Patrol records half a million yearly arrests of illegal immigrants here, accounting for almost half of all its arrests. read more

The two cultures - Mexican and U.S. - come together in a thoughtful way in this interesting novel, which is set in both countries. The story concerns a group of Mexican illegal immigrants who travel north in May each year to work in the cherry orchards in northern Michigan. They are from the village of La Purísima in Michoacán. It's a community inhabited solely by elderly people and women and children during the picking season when all the men head north on what has become their annual rite of passage. It's perhaps more than that. read more

Although there's heavy duty immigration going on, there's not a whole lot of integration taking place. read more

The book consists of nine short narratives - stories, if you like - each one occurring in the hazy borderline between Mexico and America - what Fuentes chooses to call the crystal frontier. read more

The story begins in 1941, at the time America went to war with Japan and Germany. It concerns the Salazar family, poor farmers in Chihuahua. The grandfather, Sebastian, knows he is dying and he advises the family to move to the United States. He reasons that because of the war the Americans will want lots of people to work in their country as their men go off to fight. Their farm is a ruin. Only expensive fertilizer could bring it back to life. And they don't have any money. read more

“This book is about Mexico - about living, travelling and taking things as they come in a foreign country. It’s about driving conditions and health and how to cross the border. It’s about drinking the water without getting sick… It’s not about which hotels to stay in or the most interesting villages to visit. The purpose of the book is to teach you how to find out those things for yourself.” read more

The book is ased on an actual incident in relations between the U.S. and Mexico when, in 1916, Pancho Villa's bandidos, led by Antonio Salazar, raided the small town of Columbus, New Mexico. The border between the two countries in those times was a more tense and seemingly less well-defined place at the beginning of the century. Certainly there was less coming-and-going between the two countries then. read more

Ross, a social activist, poet and working reporter based in Mexico City, has a lively and irreverent style. It makes his book an enjoyable read, despite the sometimes heavy material. His thesis is that outsiders, and most especially the United States, have never stopped trying to control or annex "this enormously rich, indescribably poor nation" in one way or another for centuries. Usually this was accomplished through plain old land-grabbing. Today the process continues through economic instruments such as indebtedness, NAFTA and the war on drugs. read more

Richard Rodriguez is the son of Mexican parents but was born in California. He sounds as though he understands Spanish but admits he doesn't speak it fluently. I definitely found Rodriguez to be a very provocative writer. read more

Mexican immigration into the U.S. represents "the greatest migration of people in the history of humanity." The author estimates that some 5 million legal Mexican immigrants reside in the U.S. plus there's a further 2 million illegal immigrants also in the country. read more

Don Adams and his collaborators have produced a guide that's aimed directly at those people up north who are contemplating coming here, either permanently or for lengthy annual visits. The resulting volume is, in my opinion, a real winner. The various chapters are divided into topics such as putting your financial affairs in order and arranging for transfers of money.... read more

This, like its predecessor, All The Pretty Horses, is another coming-of-age story involving a young American in the border country between Mexico and New Mexico in the 1930s. Billy Parham is sixteen years old when he traps a wolf in New Mexico and decides to take the injured animal back across the border to its home. It’s an interesting journey. read more

Regardless whether you translate la frontera as "border" or "frontier," the images evoked are often negative: lawlessness, dusty streets, harsh climes, and a general disregard for human life. Even... read more

The English-speaking people of the world aren't always as smart as, say, Stephen Hawking who writes about cosmic stuff like time, black holes and the universe, but wouldn't you think the people in char... read more

The sun was shining, the breeze was gentle and Mark Alvarez was in a really good mood. "People call me all day when it starts raining," he said. They call because they need to find out if they'll be ab... read more

Moving to Mexico was the easy decision; bringing my dogs with me was harder. First, how would I get them there? I didn't trust airplanes transporting animals. I thought they might lose my two big dogs... read more

Associated Press reports the U.S. Department of Immigration apprehended Santa Claus attempting to illegally enter the United States from Mexico. He was caught maneuvering his sleigh over a fence recent... read more

Remember that Mexican-American War (1846-1848) where the U.S. had a thing called "Manifest Destiny?" That meant President James K. Polk believed in the "sea to shining sea" destiny for the U.S.A. and t... read more

Less than 500 metres south of the U.S. border, in front of a ochre-stuccoed shopfront signed 'Café Nueva Asia', a technicolor banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe hangs side by side with a red paper lamp... read more

A simple vista vi un fragmento de tierra en alguna costa, frente a un océano. El vistazo se transformó en mirada. Me sumergí momentáneamente en la contemplación. Varias ideas surcaron mi mente, ... read more