June 5, 1999
At the U.S.-Mexico border the First World meets the Third World forming a region where economic disparities are glaringly evident. In urban centers steel walls and concrete reinforcements protect this international boundary, while in some rural areas the border is marked only by the slow trickle of the Rio Grande. In spite of these physical barriers, the two cultures mesh until what is Mexican or American is indistinguishable and the region takes on a culture of its own.
"The Border" brings six stories of this cultural exchange to the forefront and personalizes the evolving relationship between the United States and Mexico. The two-hour documentary, airing on PBS Thursday and Friday, September 23 and 24 at 10 p.m. EST (check local listings), features slice-of-life, character-driven vignettes narrated by journalist John Quiñones of ABC’s "20/20."
"The Border" de-emphasizes the sensational – avoiding reports of violence, illegal crossings and corruption. These over-blown and dramatic tales have overshadowed the cross-cultural voices of the more than 15 million people who are simply engaged in their everyday lives. Instead, the program focuses on six stories that relate issues in the border region: the crisis of water in desert communities; the migration in and out of the border region; current litigation over who owns the land; the current conditions of the region’s indigenous people; and artists grappling with defining the border. ?
"We’re trying to set up a new model, a new paradigm for how we look at this region," says Paul Espinosa, executive producer.
Rather than pursuing the traditional story lines of border tensions, "The Border" goes off the beaten path to unearth compelling and diverse stories which represent the complexities of this heterogeneous region–ultimately proving that there’s more on the line than drugs and immigration. Mexico’s aggressive pursuit of foreign investment in conjunction with international companies’ never-ending quest for low-cost labor fuels industry growth at the border. The consequences of this growth are apparent in Juarez, Mexico and its sister city El Paso, Texas. Home to hundreds of assembly plants known as maquiladoras, thousands of Mexicans flock to Juarez each year, straining the region’s resources, especially water. In 15 to 25 years, the underground aquifer that supplies the area’s water will be exhausted.
"The Border" introduces viewers to the Aguilar family, a Rancho Anapra family of five, faced with the challenging task of living in a home with no running water. The Juarez municipal water authority only delivers water to their neighborhood once a week. Husband and wife Enrique and Aracely Aguilar are consumed with the struggle to keep their family’s water supply safe and clean.
"On two occasions I have seen children who had parasites in the stomach and that is because they don’t boil the water or because the water barrels are dirty," says Aracely Aguilar.
This story analyzes the factors that have led to the growth of this particular border region: the Rio Grande, the maquiladoras and the promise of a better life. "The Border" interviews the region’s residents to discover the realities of living in an area where the lack of water makes it barely possible to survive.
Life along the U.S.-Mexico border is as diverse as the region. The documentary’s multiple-perspective approach gives viewers the freedom to draw their own conclusions on these complex, multi-layered issues which affect the entire nation.
"The Border" is a co-production of KPBS-TV and Espinosa Productions in San Diego in collaboration with KUAT, KNME and Galan Productions. Executive Producer is Paul Espinosa. Segment producers are: Hector Galan from Galan Productions in Austin, Texas; Hector Gonzalez from KUAT-TV, Tucson, Ariz.; Matthew Sneddon from KNME-TV, Albuquerque, N.M.; and Paul Espinosa from Espinosa Productions in San Diego, Calif. Major funding for this program was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.