Border Stories

Mexican factory workers labor for American companies at $40 per week.

Documentaries and feature stories on social, economic, legal, and environmental issues from the US-Mexico border. Broadcast on Living on Earth, American RadioWorks, Weekend Edition, and Morning Edition from 2001 to 2003. Spanish versions of several stories aired on Radio Bilingüe's Noticiero Latino.

Stories in English

Along the border, hundreds of Mexican families live in shacks constructed from factory refuse.

Laguna Madre (Living on Earth, April 2001)
A profile of people and place—a fragile ecosystem spanning both sides of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo near the Gulf of Mexico. Produced by Alan Weisman.

Straw Bale Homes in Mexico (Living on Earth, May 2001)
A story of the birth of a sustainable housing movement in Sonora, in northern Mexico. Produced by Alan Weisman.

A Bean of a Different Color (Weekend Edition Saturday/American RadioWorks, June 2001)
How a little-known bean spurred an international trade dispute and served as a metaphor for mounting intellectual property battles in the new global economy. Produced by Sandy Tolan.

Coming North (All Things Considered, May 2001)
A visit to a shelter for transients in the Mexican border town of Nogales, where would-be migrants prepare for the harrowing trip across the border to the United States. Tens of thousands of Mexicans and Central Americans have passed through the shelter, undeterred by the frequent deaths of their compatriots in the Arizona desert. Produced by Sandy Tolan.

High and Dry in Juárez (All Things Considered, July 2001)
The explosive growth in Ciudad Juárez has put unprecedented pressure on the region's water resources; as the aquifer drains, no immediate solutions are in sight. Produced by Sandy Tolan.

Eco Pilot (Living on Earth, October 2001)
Barbara Ferry profiles Sandy Lanham, an "eco-pilot" who helps Mexican environmentalists track endangered wildlife. Winner of the 2002 Gracie Allen Award.

LA Ecovillage (Living on Earth, June 2002)
The term "ecovillage" usually connotes pastoral visions of earthen homes and glistening solar panels. But in multinational Los Angeles, the idea of ecological alternative living gets stretched to include an urban slum neighborhood and a Mexican-American barrio, complete with electric low-riders and solar-powered rap recording studios. Produced by Alan Weisman.

The Cross of Juárez (Latino USA, February 2003)
The wave of assassinations of women factory workers in Ciudad Juárez that began in 1993 shows no sign of abating. As accusations fly back and forth across the border, the situation has contributed to deteriorating trust between the twin cities of El Paso and Juárez and a climate of chronic fear. Produced by Cecilia Vaisman, Mario Mercuri, and Vanesa Robles.

Border Soldiers (Latino USA, April 2003)
How the US war in Iraq is affecting the Juárez, Mexico, families of US soldiers fighting overseas. Produced by Barbara Ferry.

Panorama, Texas (Latino USA, April 2003)
The misery of Mexican slum colonias has long been visible just across from many US border towns. Over the past decade, however, despite the economic promise of NAFTA, the phenomenon has spread to the US side. Today, a half-million Texans live in more than 1,500 colonias that lack running water and sewage treatment. In one of these, Panorama, Texas, we follow Mexican immigrant Oscar Solís as he organizes his community to fight for changes. Produced by Victoria Mauleón.

Borderland Jaguars (Living On Earth, April 2004)
Jaguars, native to the tropical jungles of South America, used to be found in the southwest deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. Though jaguars no longer live in the United States, occasionally one will travel across the border from Mexico. During the past few years several have been seen in Arizona. Mexican researchers are taking advantage of Arizonans' interest in the cats to bolster their own efforts to preserve the species in Sonora. Produced by Barbara Ferry.

Tijuana Opera (Weekend Edition Saturday, August 2003)
Tijuana has been known for bullfights and beer, but the Mexican border city also has a growing opera community. Recitals and lectures are frequent, Tijuana natives are studying and performing in opera's European citadels, and the city now has its first opera. Produced by Sam Quiñones.

Luis and Negra (This American Life, October 2003)
In the late 1970s, Luis Alberto Urrea was working in the slums of Tijuana and Ana María "Negra" Calderón was a barefoot young girl, the unschooled daughter of garbage pickers. Nearly 25 years later, Luis is now a celebrated writer, winner of the American Book Award, and a tenured professor in Chicago. Back in Tijuana, Negra is struggling to raise her children and those of her sister, who was killed by her husband. In this piece Luis travels back to Tijuana to see Negra after an absence of seven years. He explores his sometimes uneasy relationship and the obligations that "first world" writers have toward their "third world" subjects. Produced by Barbara Ferry, with help from Sandy Tolan, Alan Weisman, and Deborah Begel.

Stories in Spanish

Colonia Panorama Tejas (Radio Bilingüe, October 2003)
Spanish-language version of Panorama, Texas (see description above). Produced by Victoria Mauleón and Radio Bilingüe.

Agua en Juárez (Radio Bilingüe, December 2003)
Spanish-language version of High and Dry in Juárez (see above). Produced by Sandy Tolan and Radio Bilingüe.

La Cruz de Juárez (Radio de la Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico, September 2002)
An original, 20-minute production in Spanish that grew from the same collaboration as The Cross of Juárez (see above). Produced by Cecilia Vaisman, Mario Mercuri, and Vanesa Robles.

Casas de Paja Sonorense (Radio Bilingüe, June 2001)
Spanish-language version of Straw Bale Homes in Mexico (see above). Produced by Alan Weisman and Radio Bilingüe.

Laguna Madre
Spanish-language version of English feature by the same name (see above). Produced by Alan Weisman and Radio Bilingüe.