A border crossing opened yesterday for the first time since 9/11 – reconnecting Big Bend National Park with Boquillas, Mexico. The opening reunited families and friends and restarted the tourism-driven commerce that once flowed across the border.
Before the border was closed, 300 people lived in Boquillas. Now, just 90 live there.
Marfa Public Radio Reporter Lorne Matalon says the opening is a hopeful development:
"At a time when the landscape of news from Mexico – and especially the bilateral relationship – is complicated and often difficult, this was a very bright spot. This was something that both countries ought to feel good about because the border was shut down in the name of national security that's something that everybody in Boquillas, Mexico understands. But what they don't understand is how a man named Osama bin Ladin came to have such a direct effect on their lives."
You can hear more on this story this afternoon on KUT 90.5 during All Things Considered.
