The Border Patrol plays sleight-of-hand with the cost of capturing immigrants

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I live in Rio Rico, Arizona, which is about 16 miles north of the USA’s border with Mexico. Where, recently, on a sunny Sunday morning during a walk with my dogs in the usually tranquil Santa Cruz River Valley below my home, I heard the drone of an airplane. Irritated, I looked up to see a Border Patrol (BP) plane drop down to circle a mile or so south of a Union Pacific Railroad crossing. At once, I knew a drama would soon unfold.  Sure enough, within 15 minutes, three BP vans sped up.

The shopping cart wars

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RIO RICO, Ariz. — I keep hearing complaints from some of my Rio Rico, Arizona “gringo” friends and neighbors when they drive the 15 miles south to shop the Nogales, Arizona Wal-Mart “big box” store. That’s a store that has become one of their favorite shopping places. I hear complaints like these:

(Be forewarned: I’ve inserted some possibly irreverent observations in my humble attempt to offer a solution to the shopping cart wars.)

Complaint #1: “’Those people'” (the phrase my “gringo” friends use to refer to Mexicans,) park their shopping carts smack dab in the middle of the aisles!”

(Sometimes, they do, indeed!  Sometimes, I must confess, I’ve also done that, while reaching for an item on the upper shelves.)

Complaint #2: “’Those people’ often park their carts side-by-side to chat, blocking the aisles.”

(Yes, indeed! “Those people,” – are, by nature and custom, an extremely gregarious, chatty folk.

Making ends meet in Nogales on $1 an hour

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RIO RICO, Ariz. — When I returned to my Rio Rico, Arizona home from a second visit to my dentist who works twenty minutes away in Nogales, Sonora, I reflected on what a fine dentist Dr. Emilia Sáenz is. But her assistant, José, a gracious young man, is even finer. My spoken Spanish is decent, but my level of understanding sometimes lags – especially with Dr. Sáenz, an immigrant from Colombia, whose rapid Spanish confused me, which made José even more crucial as I endured another root canal. I marveled at José’s skill at anticipating Dr. Sáenz’s demanding needs and at anticipating any discomfort I might feel.