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Haciendo Fila: Crossing Borders And Negotiating Entrance In The U.S. – Mexico Borderlands, Erika Rendon-Ramos

Mexican American Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The borderlands provide opportunities to legally cross the border on a regular basis, opening the door to a greater range of job, living, and educational possibilities. Fronterizos (borderlanders) are fluid migrants— they cross between Mexico and the United States on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. In Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros, Tamaulipas there is a constant flux of workers and students who are taking advantage of their unique position to be transnational citizens. Fronterizos seemingly always have one foot in each country; their lives are shaped by the existence of this international boundary. Fronterizos often spend hours daily “haciendo fila,” …