“Gone are the days when young, strong men waited on the Tijuana River levees for their chance to wade across the water, evade capture and find work for the summer. These days, thousands of people a day simply walk up to the border and surrender. Most of them are from Central America, seeking to escape from gang violence, sexual abuse, death threats and persistent poverty. The smugglers have told them they will be quickly released, as long as they bring a child, and that they will be allowed to remain in the United States for years while they pursue their asylum cases.” NYT: The U.S. Immigration System May Have Reached a Breaking Point.

+ “I had a shotgun with me, and I leveled the shotgun at him when I opened the door, asked him what he wanted, and he said ‘just water’ was all he wanted. I looked him in the eye and I thought to myself, ‘This man is not going to bring me any harm.’ … It became starkly apparent to me at that time that we don’t take the time to really put ourselves in each other’s shoes.” A Texas Rancher Describes the Border as Transitional Land.

+ Vox: 9 questions about the border crisis you were too embarrassed to ask.