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00:00:08.500 --> 00:00:10.560
-This is where most of
the truck drivers that go along
these routes stop to eat.

00:00:10.584 --> 00:00:13.143
So we're going to try
to capture and eat the food,

00:00:13.167 --> 00:00:15.975
and hopefully you can hear some
of the conversation here, too,

00:00:15.999 --> 00:00:18.727
'cause it's loud.

00:00:18.751 --> 00:00:21.768
The idea of the border
has profound meaning to me.

00:00:21.792 --> 00:00:25.143
As a Mexican-American,

00:00:25.167 --> 00:00:26.935
I always feel like I'm treading
between two worlds.

00:00:26.959 --> 00:00:30.768
I was born and raised in Mexico,
then moved to America,

00:00:30.792 --> 00:00:33.393
and I'm raising
my family here.

00:00:33.417 --> 00:00:35.602
And I've spent my career
traveling my homeland,

00:00:35.626 --> 00:00:38.643
sharing Mexican food
and culture with the world.

00:00:38.667 --> 00:00:42.125 position:20%
Are you with me?
I want to tell you things.

00:00:42.709 --> 00:00:46.602
Now I'm setting my sights
directly on the place

00:00:46.626 --> 00:00:49.975
where my two
beloved countries meet.

00:00:49.999 --> 00:00:52.226
I'm traveling
the Texas-Mexico border,

00:00:52.250 --> 00:00:54.975
from far west Texas

00:00:54.999 --> 00:00:56.975
to the
Gulf of Mexico.

00:00:56.999 --> 00:00:58.310
-Welcome to South Texas.
We're just starting.

00:00:58.334 --> 00:01:01.059
-Oh, yeah, take me there.
Take me there.

00:01:01.083 --> 00:01:03.975
In this episode, I'm traveling

00:01:03.999 --> 00:01:05.975
from Laredo and Nuevo Laredo

00:01:05.999 --> 00:01:07.768
to Brownsville, Texas,

00:01:07.792 --> 00:01:09.602
a region with a strong
ranching tradition

00:01:09.626 --> 00:01:12.310
that has evolved into a hub
for trucking and trading.

00:01:12.334 --> 00:01:15.768
And it might even be a launch
point into the future,

00:01:15.792 --> 00:01:18.975
where every story ends up
wrapped in a taco.

00:01:18.999 --> 00:01:22.792 position:20%
I'm Pati Jinich
and this is "La Frontera."

00:01:29.209 --> 00:01:31.292 line:20%
♪♪
-About halfway down this lower
part of the Texas-Mexico border,

00:01:31.459 --> 00:01:35.435
the sister cities of Laredo,
Texas, and Nuevo Laredo,

00:01:35.459 --> 00:01:38.351
Tamaulipas, have
one very important,

00:01:38.375 --> 00:01:40.975
very loud claim to fame.

00:01:40.999 --> 00:01:42.810 line:20%
♪♪

00:01:42.834 --> 00:01:44.975 position:20%
This is the busiest trade port
on the U.S.-Mexico border.

00:01:44.999 --> 00:01:48.560
Thousands of trucks carrying
over $200 billion

00:01:48.584 --> 00:01:52.185
of goods cross back
and forth every day.

00:01:52.209 --> 00:01:55.643
[ Cow moos ]

00:01:55.667 --> 00:01:59.226 position:20%
But before trucking
was a number-one industry,

00:01:59.250 --> 00:02:01.685
ranching was a way of life
for centuries.

00:02:01.709 --> 00:02:04.768 position:20%
And just outside of Laredo,

00:02:04.792 --> 00:02:06.751
many people are still holding on
to that history.

00:02:08.292 --> 00:02:09.834 line:20%
Oh, my God!

00:02:11.667 --> 00:02:13.792
I see why she married you.
You look good on a horse.

00:02:14.876 --> 00:02:18.727
-Yeah, those Wranglers
still fit really nice.

00:02:18.751 --> 00:02:20.975 line:20%
[ Laughter ]

00:02:20.999 --> 00:02:22.626 line:20%
-Tano Tijerina is a former
minor league baseball player

00:02:23.417 --> 00:02:26.975
and current county judge.

00:02:26.999 --> 00:02:28.792 line:20%
He runs El Bosal Ranch
with his wife, Kim...

00:02:28.999 --> 00:02:32.143 line:20%
-What do we got?

00:02:32.167 --> 00:02:34.310 position:20%
-...where they work hard...

00:02:34.334 --> 00:02:35.852
[ Laughter ]

00:02:35.876 --> 00:02:37.852
...and play hard.

00:02:37.876 --> 00:02:39.727
-This is normal.
You have to understand.

00:02:39.751 --> 00:02:41.685
This is normal.

00:02:41.709 --> 00:02:43.059
-Ranching has been such
an integral part

00:02:43.083 --> 00:02:44.975
of Laredo's history

00:02:44.999 --> 00:02:46.667
that the entire region started
as one small ranch in the 1700s.

00:02:47.999 --> 00:02:51.894
And then families came
and settled around it.

00:02:51.918 --> 00:02:54.975
You are, like,
the handsomest couple ever.

00:02:54.999 --> 00:02:57.310
-Thank you.
-Thank you.

00:02:57.334 --> 00:02:58.894
-I think we're probably
a good interpretation

00:02:58.918 --> 00:03:00.975
of what Webb County is.

00:03:00.999 --> 00:03:02.518
My family's been here
since the 1890s,

00:03:02.542 --> 00:03:05.185
and ranching has been
our way of life.

00:03:05.209 --> 00:03:07.393
And then his family had,
you know, ranches.

00:03:07.417 --> 00:03:09.999
-The family strength is stronger
than anywhere in La Frontera,

00:03:10.167 --> 00:03:13.975
from Baja, California,
to Brownsville.

00:03:13.999 --> 00:03:16.351
That is what makes
Laredo so unique.

00:03:16.375 --> 00:03:18.643
You have Laredo families married
to a lot of people from Mexico,

00:03:18.667 --> 00:03:21.894
Nuevo Laredo, and vice versa.

00:03:21.918 --> 00:03:23.185 position:20%
So it's a very strong bond.

00:03:23.209 --> 00:03:24.810
And that's what creates that
power of the trucking companies,

00:03:24.834 --> 00:03:28.268
the trust, the bond,
all that kind of stuff.

00:03:28.292 --> 00:03:30.226
-Yeah, 'cause it's family.
-It's rooted --

00:03:30.250 --> 00:03:32.310
it's rooted for generations.

00:03:32.334 --> 00:03:34.018
-We never considered
Laredo a border town

00:03:34.042 --> 00:03:36.268
because we would literally
walk across and it wasn't --

00:03:36.292 --> 00:03:39.685
there was no distinction.

00:03:39.709 --> 00:03:40.727
The whole concept of border
really, to me,

00:03:40.751 --> 00:03:43.143 position:20%
started in the early 2000s.

00:03:43.167 --> 00:03:45.226
-Oh, so recent.
-That there was a distinction

00:03:45.250 --> 00:03:46.852
between Mexico.

00:03:46.876 --> 00:03:48.310
There was no real distinction
between Mexicans and Americans.

00:03:48.334 --> 00:03:51.894
It was never like
that growing up.

00:03:51.918 --> 00:03:52.975
-Going back to our trucking,
because

00:03:52.999 --> 00:03:55.059
that's what makes us today,
the import-exports.

00:03:55.083 --> 00:03:56.975
-Yeah.

00:03:56.999 --> 00:03:58.059
-If you look at Texas
as a heart,

00:03:58.083 --> 00:04:00.059
and you look at
the United States as a body,

00:04:00.083 --> 00:04:01.999
if you look at little, old Webb
County, Laredo as the aorta,

00:04:02.626 --> 00:04:06.435
if you would happen to say,
you know what?

00:04:06.459 --> 00:04:08.268
Our one bridge that we have,
the World Trade Bridge,

00:04:08.292 --> 00:04:10.975
if you would stop that today,

00:04:10.999 --> 00:04:13.018
you would see
the United States --

00:04:13.042 --> 00:04:14.685
Texas and the United States
shut down...

00:04:14.709 --> 00:04:16.268
-Suffer.
-...today.

00:04:16.292 --> 00:04:17.101
-Immediately.
-Yes.

00:04:17.125 --> 00:04:18.310 line:20%
♪♪

00:04:18.334 --> 00:04:20.975
-Where do you see ranching now,

00:04:20.999 --> 00:04:22.975
because you were talking
about trade

00:04:22.999 --> 00:04:24.476
and the importance of trade?

00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:26.292
-I think ranching and the tools
of ranching have evolved

00:04:27.167 --> 00:04:30.894
and have changed very much so.

00:04:30.918 --> 00:04:32.935
Back in the 1800s, early 1900s,

00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:35.083
that was the income
that a family would receive.

00:04:35.667 --> 00:04:39.393
You know, they might have
not had much,

00:04:39.417 --> 00:04:41.143
but it was part of life.

00:04:41.167 --> 00:04:42.560
It was a cowboy life.
It was a tradition.

00:04:42.584 --> 00:04:44.810
I think the cowboy way of life
is still hanging on

00:04:44.834 --> 00:04:48.018
to a certain tradition
and heritage,

00:04:48.042 --> 00:04:51.334
but actual finances and actual
putting money on the table,

00:04:52.083 --> 00:04:55.935
most families now
are subsidizing

00:04:55.959 --> 00:04:57.894
it one way or the other.

00:04:57.918 --> 00:04:58.975
We're in the same boat
right now.

00:04:58.999 --> 00:05:00.143 position:20%
We're in the hemp business.

00:05:00.167 --> 00:05:01.518
-You tried to keep up
the ranching.

00:05:01.542 --> 00:05:04.518
-Well, I think just like
big box stores,

00:05:04.542 --> 00:05:08.226
we're kind of in
the same position as ranchers.

00:05:08.250 --> 00:05:10.435
It's become so commercialized
that it's hard for us

00:05:10.459 --> 00:05:13.185
to compete with a bigger market.

00:05:13.209 --> 00:05:14.975
-But you want
the ranch lifestyle?

00:05:14.999 --> 00:05:16.518
-Yes.

00:05:16.542 --> 00:05:17.518
-'Cause what does it
mean to you?

00:05:17.542 --> 00:05:19.727
-Life.
-Yeah.

00:05:19.751 --> 00:05:20.894
-It's who we are.
-Yeah.

00:05:20.918 --> 00:05:22.268
-It's truly who we are.

00:05:22.292 --> 00:05:23.975
It just makes our heart content
and we can go to sleep at peace

00:05:23.999 --> 00:05:27.059
knowing that we have
a little bit of history

00:05:27.083 --> 00:05:29.018
that we're passing along.

00:05:29.042 --> 00:05:31.268
-Some of that tradition
Tano and Kim are passing along

00:05:31.292 --> 00:05:33.935
is my favorite way to connect
with the ranching lifestyle.

00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:37.059
-Pati, have you tried machitos
before?

00:05:37.083 --> 00:05:38.310 position:20%
-I have not tried machitos.

00:05:38.334 --> 00:05:39.975
-Okay. So, it's all the organs.
-Yeah.

00:05:39.999 --> 00:05:42.226
-Wrapped in -- It's put
in the large intestine

00:05:42.250 --> 00:05:44.185
and then wrapped
in the small intestine.

00:05:44.209 --> 00:05:46.976
-This is true-grit-type stuff,

00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:49.560
recipes from a time when you had
to get the most

00:05:49.584 --> 00:05:52.351
out of the animal
just to survive.

00:05:52.375 --> 00:05:55.125
Like braided tripe.

00:05:55.334 --> 00:05:57.417 line:20%
Like, does it have seasoning?

00:05:58.999 --> 00:06:00.975
Oh, that looks so good.
-[ Laughs ]

00:06:00.999 --> 00:06:02.976
-Could we try?

00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:04.351
-You want to try a piece?
Provecho.

00:06:04.375 --> 00:06:06.334
-Salud.
-Cheers. Salud.

00:06:06.584 --> 00:06:09.810
-Mmm.

00:06:09.834 --> 00:06:12.560
The inside tastes
like the most exquisite

00:06:12.584 --> 00:06:15.268
chopped chicken liver
with a crunchy casing.

00:06:15.292 --> 00:06:18.351
-Welcome to South Texas.
We're just starting.

00:06:18.375 --> 00:06:21.643 line:20%
♪♪

00:06:21.667 --> 00:06:24.268
-The ranching lifestyle,
everybody's involved

00:06:24.292 --> 00:06:26.976
in one way or another, right?

00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:28.560 position:20%
-It very much is.
-I think our social circle

00:06:28.584 --> 00:06:31.059
is our family.
We would work cattle together.

00:06:31.083 --> 00:06:33.975 position:20%
We would go to church together.
I guess that's why we form

00:06:33.999 --> 00:06:36.602
that bond, is we spent so
much time growing up together.

00:06:36.626 --> 00:06:39.476
Everybody, including the women,
were taught to do a job.

00:06:39.500 --> 00:06:42.768
We have 2-year-olds,
they're in the pens with us.

00:06:42.792 --> 00:06:45.226
We taught them the trade
because we taught them

00:06:45.250 --> 00:06:48.059
where their food
comes from, number one,

00:06:48.083 --> 00:06:49.768
but also where their house
comes from, that it's hard work.

00:06:49.792 --> 00:06:52.894
Everybody has to work.
-My family, they're like,

00:06:52.918 --> 00:06:54.935
"Hey, your hands
are getting soft."

00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:56.268
And that to me is like,
ugh, it just hurts, you know.

00:06:56.292 --> 00:06:58.975
-Got to go back to the field.

00:06:58.999 --> 00:07:00.268
-And don't ever serve
my family chicken.

00:07:00.292 --> 00:07:02.975
-Ever.
-That's another insult.

00:07:02.999 --> 00:07:04.185
-Ever!
-Oh, why? Tell me about that.

00:07:04.209 --> 00:07:06.018
-Because we're in
the beef industry.

00:07:06.042 --> 00:07:07.393
-Yeah. So, what do you guys
do for Thanksgiving?

00:07:07.417 --> 00:07:09.560
-I cook my dad prime rib.
-Oh, you do?

00:07:09.584 --> 00:07:12.310
-He will not eat turkey.

00:07:12.334 --> 00:07:14.417
-Just thinking about
the history of this region,

00:07:14.751 --> 00:07:18.185
within the history of Texas,

00:07:18.209 --> 00:07:19.975
I mean, Texas is already
its own thing,

00:07:19.999 --> 00:07:22.101
but it feels like this
is a world within that world.

00:07:22.125 --> 00:07:25.417
This place has, what, like,
94% Hispanics?

00:07:26.209 --> 00:07:29.727
Like, isn't this one

00:07:29.751 --> 00:07:31.059
of the least diverse
places in the U.S.?

00:07:31.083 --> 00:07:34.975 position:20%
And it's not least diverse
because it's mainly white.

00:07:34.999 --> 00:07:38.101
It's least diverse
because it's mainly Hispanic.

00:07:38.125 --> 00:07:40.727
-That's correct.
-Growing up, I was like

00:07:40.751 --> 00:07:43.393
one of five white people
graduating high school.

00:07:43.417 --> 00:07:46.975
-I've noticed that Texans are
very proud of being Texans,

00:07:46.999 --> 00:07:49.685
but Mexicanos look at us
like gringos

00:07:49.709 --> 00:07:51.975
and the Americans look
at us like Mexicanos.

00:07:51.999 --> 00:07:53.975
-Right.
-Look at my wife and I.

00:07:53.999 --> 00:07:55.393
She's white outside.
I'm Hispanic on the outside.

00:07:55.417 --> 00:07:58.560
What you're doing today,
taking and tasting

00:07:58.584 --> 00:08:00.894
a little bit of our freedom,

00:08:00.918 --> 00:08:02.393
this is what we get to do
and we get to cherish.

00:08:02.417 --> 00:08:04.768
Ranching is who we are,
but it's a way of being.

00:08:04.792 --> 00:08:08.834
A cowboy is what comes from
inside, getting the hands dirty.

00:08:09.999 --> 00:08:11.876
That's who we are.

00:08:13.292 --> 00:08:14.310
I am so happy for this.

00:08:14.334 --> 00:08:16.125
-We -- I know. I know.
I am so happy for this.

00:08:16.542 --> 00:08:20.018
-And I'm happy that you're here.

00:08:20.042 --> 00:08:21.602
You're getting to experience
a little bit of who we are.

00:08:21.626 --> 00:08:24.334
And I think it's important.
I really do appreciate that.

00:08:26.250 --> 00:08:26.959 line:20%
♪♪

00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:31.393
-Strength in family,
determination, perseverance,

00:08:31.417 --> 00:08:35.226
these qualities have come
to define the border.

00:08:35.250 --> 00:08:38.351
They have also helped to build
one of

00:08:38.375 --> 00:08:40.167 position:20%
the most successful regional
food chains in South Texas

00:08:40.500 --> 00:08:43.976
based on tacos, Taco Palenque.

00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:46.975
Hola.
-Hola, Pati.

00:08:46.999 --> 00:08:49.560 line:20%
-Pancho, his wife Flérida,
their son José,

00:08:49.584 --> 00:08:52.975 line:20%
along with his sisters
and brothers,

00:08:52.999 --> 00:08:54.975
are the family behind
this beloved Frontera food.

00:08:54.999 --> 00:08:58.685
You know, as we're coming
to the border,

00:08:58.709 --> 00:09:01.268
we were telling friends and
people we're coming to Laredo,

00:09:01.292 --> 00:09:03.975
we're coming to La Frontera,
everyone --

00:09:03.999 --> 00:09:06.768
everyone kept saying, "Oh, you
have to go to Taco Palenque."

00:09:06.792 --> 00:09:10.083
It feels like everybody says
Taco Palenque is,

00:09:10.500 --> 00:09:14.018
like, their pride and treasure.

00:09:14.042 --> 00:09:17.935
There are over 20 Taco Palenque

00:09:17.959 --> 00:09:19.975
locations throughout
southern Texas.

00:09:19.999 --> 00:09:22.626
And Pancho still makes sure
to check in on every restaurant.

00:09:30.125 --> 00:09:33.975 line:20%
'Cause I'm hearing stories
about Pancho,

00:09:33.999 --> 00:09:36.226
that he would just
run into any kitchen

00:09:36.250 --> 00:09:38.393
of any of the restaurants.
Is that true?

00:09:38.417 --> 00:09:40.999 line:20%
-Yes.

00:09:42.167 --> 00:09:45.894
-Okay. He doesn't just check in.

00:09:45.918 --> 00:09:47.999
He still gets back into the
kitchen to cook whenever he can.

00:09:48.167 --> 00:09:51.894
And why not?
Tacos, burritos,

00:09:51.918 --> 00:09:54.101
quesadillas, parrilladas,
he created the menu.

00:09:54.125 --> 00:09:57.500 line:20%
♪♪

00:09:58.834 --> 00:10:02.143
A salsa cart, anyone?

00:10:02.167 --> 00:10:03.999 position:20%
Pancho wants to start with one
of his favorite creations.

00:10:06.375 --> 00:10:07.626
Panchos.

00:10:29.250 --> 00:10:33.101
And because Don Pancho
is so proud of his food,

00:10:33.125 --> 00:10:35.975
he wants me to try all of it.

00:10:35.999 --> 00:10:38.185
More food?
We need another table.

00:10:38.209 --> 00:10:40.975
Like, all of it.

00:10:40.999 --> 00:10:42.500 line:20%
♪♪

00:10:43.751 --> 00:10:47.768 line:20%
It is so good I didn't have
breakfast this morning.

00:10:47.792 --> 00:10:50.226 line:20%
Oh, my God, at this point
we're going to need

00:10:50.250 --> 00:10:51.976 line:20%
like three more tables.

00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:55.125 line:20%
Pancho built the most successful
regional chain in Texas.

00:10:55.292 --> 00:10:58.852
To understand his pride,

00:10:58.876 --> 00:11:00.185
you have to know
where he comes from.

00:11:00.209 --> 00:11:02.435
He was born in a tiny town
of 200 people in the mountains

00:11:02.459 --> 00:11:05.975
in the state of Sinaloa,
one of 12 kids.

00:11:05.999 --> 00:11:09.999 position:20%
By the age of 12, he quit school
to help support his family

00:11:10.375 --> 00:11:13.975
and worked odd jobs for years.

00:11:13.999 --> 00:11:16.435
At 30 years old, he was working
as a shoe salesman,

00:11:16.459 --> 00:11:19.999
barely making ends meet.

00:11:41.417 --> 00:11:45.417
The next day, Pancho bought
a grill and some tables.

00:11:51.125 --> 00:11:54.852
Yes,that El Pollo Loco.

00:11:54.876 --> 00:11:56.894
That fast-food franchise
with almost 500 locations

00:11:56.918 --> 00:12:00.310
in both the U.S. and Mexico?

00:12:00.334 --> 00:12:02.292
Pancho started it.

00:12:09.334 --> 00:12:13.500
In 1987, after finding success
in both the U.S. and Mexico,

00:12:14.417 --> 00:12:18.643
Pancho decided to start his next
restaurant right at the border.

00:12:18.667 --> 00:12:22.560
So he and his family
moved to Laredo, Texas,

00:12:22.584 --> 00:12:25.727
and opened
the very first Taco Palenque,

00:12:25.751 --> 00:12:28.375
the one we're
sitting in today.

00:13:24.667 --> 00:13:28.602
Going from the most
popular tacos of the region

00:13:28.626 --> 00:13:31.518
to the best tacos
you've never heard of.

00:13:31.542 --> 00:13:34.310
Trucking and trade impacts
everything here in the Laredos,

00:13:34.334 --> 00:13:37.602
from the multimillion-dollar
trade industry

00:13:37.626 --> 00:13:40.792
to small businesses,
including another taco family.

00:13:41.334 --> 00:13:45.059
Right through here
is the Laredo Nuevo

00:13:45.083 --> 00:13:47.435
Laredo International
Bridge Port of Entry.

00:13:47.459 --> 00:13:50.768 line:20%
And just a quarter mile

00:13:50.792 --> 00:13:52.894 line:20%
south of the border crossing,

00:13:52.918 --> 00:13:54.435 line:20%
right on the side of the highway
is this food truck,

00:13:54.459 --> 00:13:57.894
a favorite stop for truckers.

00:13:57.918 --> 00:14:00.975
This is where most
of the truck drivers

00:14:00.999 --> 00:14:03.059
that go along
this route stop to eat.

00:14:03.083 --> 00:14:05.727
So we're going to try to
capture and eat the food,

00:14:05.751 --> 00:14:08.685
and hopefully you can hear some
of the conversation here, too,

00:14:08.709 --> 00:14:11.101
'cause it's loud.

00:14:11.125 --> 00:14:14.751 position:20%
It smells so good already.

00:14:24.417 --> 00:14:28.459 line:20%
Ta Con Ganas is a play
on words 'cause "taco" is a taco

00:14:28.876 --> 00:14:32.476 line:20%
and if you say
"es ta con ganas,"

00:14:32.500 --> 00:14:34.959
it's like you're craving it,
like you're wanting it.

00:14:36.751 --> 00:14:38.667
Luis Miguel Casillas has been
making crave-worthy food

00:14:40.792 --> 00:14:44.125
on this noisy highway
for over 13 years.

00:15:03.584 --> 00:15:06.975
This is crazy.

00:15:06.999 --> 00:15:08.417 line:20%
Did you get used to the sound,
to the noise?

00:15:11.834 --> 00:15:15.143
However loud it gets,

00:15:15.167 --> 00:15:16.685
you can't beat the location
for business.

00:15:16.709 --> 00:15:19.459
Ta Con Ganas is less than one
mile from the border crossing.

00:15:19.667 --> 00:15:23.584
Over 16,000 trucks
cross this border every day.

00:15:51.792 --> 00:15:55.143
If I were a truck driver,

00:15:55.167 --> 00:15:56.727
I would be stopping every day
on my way, too.

00:15:56.751 --> 00:16:00.709
Inside the truck, Angel and his
crew keep the cravings coming.

00:16:01.209 --> 00:16:05.059
Tacos, quesadillas, gorditas,
and burritos.

00:16:05.083 --> 00:16:08.810
And if you think the truck
might act as a noise buffer,

00:16:08.834 --> 00:16:12.584 position:20%
it doesn't.
It's just as loud in here.

00:16:15.626 --> 00:16:18.727
Chicharron, picadillo,
deshebrada, carne asada,

00:16:18.751 --> 00:16:21.959
I'm getting
one of everything.

00:16:36.751 --> 00:16:40.375
I'm, like,
at the best taqueria.

00:16:46.999 --> 00:16:50.975 line:20%
Do you have truck drivers
that are Mexican and American

00:16:50.999 --> 00:16:53.876
or mostly Mexican?

00:17:07.042 --> 00:17:10.975
Like, it shouldn't be
any surprise to people

00:17:10.999 --> 00:17:13.268
who love Mexican food
and how good this is.

00:17:13.292 --> 00:17:15.852
This is home food.

00:17:15.876 --> 00:17:17.792 line:20%
-No.
-Sí.

00:17:18.834 --> 00:17:22.101 position:20% line:20%
-One of the truckers
who frequents Ta Con Ganas

00:17:22.125 --> 00:17:24.918 position:20% line:20%
is Manuel Espinosa Romero.

00:17:54.999 --> 00:17:58.999
No matter your route, this is
the way in and the way out.

00:18:02.709 --> 00:18:06.626 line:20%
And every time you pass
through here, you stop here?

00:18:21.334 --> 00:18:25.292
So it's kind of a --
it's kind of a balancing act

00:18:25.999 --> 00:18:29.476
between staying sane and healthy

00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:32.518
and doing the route
the fastest possible

00:18:32.542 --> 00:18:35.125
so that you can do
a next trip to get paid.

00:18:41.167 --> 00:18:45.059 position:20%
My new friend Manuel
has offered to take me out

00:18:45.083 --> 00:18:47.975
for a little spin
around the highway.

00:18:47.999 --> 00:18:49.876
Oy, this is a beast!

00:18:50.375 --> 00:18:53.602 line:20%
♪♪

00:18:53.626 --> 00:18:55.975
Whoa.

00:18:55.999 --> 00:18:57.643 line:20%
♪♪

00:18:57.667 --> 00:19:01.375
That was like
climbing a building.

00:19:05.834 --> 00:19:09.101
30 years doing this.

00:19:09.125 --> 00:19:11.083
What is it that
you transport the most?

00:19:18.542 --> 00:19:22.417
Manuel, what's the toughest
part of this job?

00:19:44.959 --> 00:19:48.709
What do you love the most
about driving?

00:19:56.667 --> 00:19:59.975
[ Truck horn honks ]

00:19:59.999 --> 00:20:01.709 line:20%
♪♪

00:20:02.876 --> 00:20:04.935
There is no wall dividing
Laredo from Nuevo Laredo.

00:20:04.959 --> 00:20:08.351
Even though they sit
on opposite sides

00:20:08.375 --> 00:20:10.351
of a major political border,

00:20:10.375 --> 00:20:12.685
these two cities
are very connected.

00:20:12.709 --> 00:20:15.292
And just as the truckers go back
and forth all day,

00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:18.975
I'm making my way back

00:20:18.999 --> 00:20:20.685
to Laredo, Texas.

00:20:20.709 --> 00:20:22.560
-Laredo has always been
a huge trade point.

00:20:22.584 --> 00:20:24.727
You know, strategically
and geographically,

00:20:24.751 --> 00:20:26.935
it is very important for trade.

00:20:26.959 --> 00:20:28.476
-It's closer to Mexico or...?

00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:29.975
-No, it's because this is
where I-35 starts.

00:20:29.999 --> 00:20:32.268 line:20%
From here,
it's a straight shot to Dallas.

00:20:32.292 --> 00:20:33.975 line:20%
And then from Dallas, you know,
you can go anywhere in the U.S.

00:20:33.999 --> 00:20:37.292
-Lucy Montemayor runs a major
import-export station

00:20:37.584 --> 00:20:40.975
in Laredo, Texas.

00:20:40.999 --> 00:20:42.685
So, you got here
when you were nine.

00:20:42.709 --> 00:20:44.935 line:20%
-I was about nine
when we got here.

00:20:44.959 --> 00:20:46.792
I was born in Zamora, Michoacán,
which is more in central Mexico.

00:20:46.999 --> 00:20:50.894
My father ended up getting a job
with a broker

00:20:50.918 --> 00:20:54.351
who sold strawberries
in the U.S.

00:20:54.375 --> 00:20:56.727
So that's how my parents
ended up in Michoacán.

00:20:56.751 --> 00:20:58.976
And then
that's where I was born.

00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:00.560
-Oh, wow. And then how did you
all make it here?

00:21:00.584 --> 00:21:03.101
-So, then after 10 years,
this same company said,

00:21:03.125 --> 00:21:05.685
"Come to the U.S."

00:21:05.709 --> 00:21:06.476
That's how we ended up
in Laredo.

00:21:06.500 --> 00:21:08.310
-People here are really proud

00:21:08.334 --> 00:21:09.975
to be the biggest
trucking port at the border,

00:21:09.999 --> 00:21:13.018
but Lucy brought me here
to Los Jacales

00:21:13.042 --> 00:21:15.393
to share another unique part
of Laredo life.

00:21:15.417 --> 00:21:18.185
Mariachis are Laredo's
breakfast tacos.

00:21:18.209 --> 00:21:20.768
I'm getting eggs and machaca --
dried shredded beef --

00:21:20.792 --> 00:21:23.542
on a warm,
almost crispy tortilla.

00:21:24.334 --> 00:21:26.292 line:20%
Tell me a bit
about the mariachi tacos.

00:21:28.083 --> 00:21:30.518
-The legend is that
the original owner

00:21:30.542 --> 00:21:32.935
from this restaurant had another
restaurant a few blocks down.

00:21:32.959 --> 00:21:35.751
Yes. People used to love
his breakfast tacos,

00:21:36.751 --> 00:21:39.226
but he used to make them
so spicy that people used to say

00:21:39.250 --> 00:21:42.101
they would make you scream
like a mariachi band.

00:21:42.125 --> 00:21:44.768
-Oh, that's so funny.
-And so that's how he came up

00:21:44.792 --> 00:21:46.476 position:20%
with the name of mariachis.

00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:48.083
-The people here in the Laredo
region are so proud.

00:21:48.626 --> 00:21:52.393
-Very proud.
-About all of their things.

00:21:52.417 --> 00:21:54.351
-Literally, our slogan
is "Laredo Proud."

00:21:54.375 --> 00:21:56.935
Everybody tends to overlook
Laredo for what it really is.

00:21:56.959 --> 00:22:00.351
Laredo is kind of like
a hidden gem

00:22:00.375 --> 00:22:01.975
and people really don't see
the true value of the city.

00:22:01.999 --> 00:22:05.768
And the true value of the city
is within the people.

00:22:05.792 --> 00:22:08.518
-And the people here love
their history,

00:22:08.542 --> 00:22:11.226
which makes them feel connected
with Nuevo Laredo

00:22:11.250 --> 00:22:13.685
in an intense way.

00:22:13.709 --> 00:22:15.518
-The very unique part
about Laredo

00:22:15.542 --> 00:22:17.935
is that the people here
have been both Mexican citizens

00:22:17.959 --> 00:22:21.018 position:20%
and they are U.S. citizens.

00:22:21.042 --> 00:22:22.975
-Laredo, for a little
under a year,

00:22:22.999 --> 00:22:25.101
was the capital of its own
independent country,

00:22:25.125 --> 00:22:28.143
the Republic of the Rio Grande.

00:22:28.167 --> 00:22:30.560
Back in 1840,

00:22:30.584 --> 00:22:31.959
about 20 years after Mexico
won independence from Spain,

00:22:32.125 --> 00:22:35.894 line:20%
leaders of the northern Mexican

00:22:35.918 --> 00:22:37.310 line:20%
states formed an alliance

00:22:37.334 --> 00:22:39.185 line:20%
and declared independence from

00:22:39.209 --> 00:22:40.975
the central Mexican government.

00:22:40.999 --> 00:22:42.976 position:20%
Their independent territory

00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:44.727
covered much of today's

00:22:44.751 --> 00:22:45.975
Texas-Mexico border.

00:22:45.999 --> 00:22:47.894
But it didn't last long.

00:22:47.918 --> 00:22:49.727
They were defeated by Mexico
and forced to rejoin

00:22:49.751 --> 00:22:52.310
after just under a year.

00:22:52.334 --> 00:22:54.975
So, how does the region
of Laredo

00:22:54.999 --> 00:22:56.393
and the people of Laredo
distinguish themselves,

00:22:56.417 --> 00:22:58.935
not from other border towns
but from the rest of Texas?

00:22:58.959 --> 00:23:01.894
-It's the mixing of the culture.

00:23:01.918 --> 00:23:03.226
It's because they got
the Mexican traditions

00:23:03.250 --> 00:23:06.018
and the Mexican culture and the
Mexican dishes that they love

00:23:06.042 --> 00:23:09.975
and they mixed them
with the U.S. culture

00:23:09.999 --> 00:23:12.768
and the U.S. traditions
that they love.

00:23:12.792 --> 00:23:15.226
-The people of
Laredo-Nuevo Laredo, since 1898,

00:23:15.250 --> 00:23:18.727
have celebrated
George Washington's birthday.

00:23:18.751 --> 00:23:21.999
The celebration is over a month
long and has over 40 events.

00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:26.975
One of its main events

00:23:26.999 --> 00:23:28.393
is the Martha Washington Pageant
and Ball,

00:23:28.417 --> 00:23:31.602
where young women from
both Laredo and Nuevo Laredo

00:23:31.626 --> 00:23:34.518
dress in elaborate period gowns

00:23:34.542 --> 00:23:37.268
and have an honorary George
and Martha Washington.

00:23:37.292 --> 00:23:40.584
There is also jalapeño -- yeah,
jalapeño festival.

00:23:40.959 --> 00:23:44.727
George Washington probably
would have loved

00:23:44.751 --> 00:23:46.975
some tacos with jalapeños on it.

00:23:46.999 --> 00:23:48.685
-I really feel he would.

00:23:48.709 --> 00:23:50.018
-One of the most powerful events

00:23:50.042 --> 00:23:52.018
is the Abrazo Ceremony.

00:23:52.042 --> 00:23:54.018
Once a year,
only for a few hours,

00:23:54.042 --> 00:23:56.226 position:20%
the cities close
the Juárez-Lincoln Bridge.

00:23:56.250 --> 00:23:59.459
Two children from each city
are chosen to lead this abrazo,

00:23:59.959 --> 00:24:03.059
or embrace.

00:24:03.083 --> 00:24:04.518
-You have our Mexican
counterparts

00:24:04.542 --> 00:24:05.976
and the American counterparts

00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:07.476
walking to the middle and
exchanging flags and hugging.

00:24:07.500 --> 00:24:09.975
-I feel like crying and I'm
not even there because it's --

00:24:09.999 --> 00:24:12.935
-It was beautiful.
-Yeah.

00:24:12.959 --> 00:24:14.476
And there's nothing like that
anywhere in the border.

00:24:14.500 --> 00:24:17.476
-Not on the border.
-No.

00:24:17.500 --> 00:24:18.518
-But the truth of the matter is

00:24:18.542 --> 00:24:19.560
and the reality here
on the border

00:24:19.584 --> 00:24:21.226
is that a lot of people
live in Nuevo Laredo,

00:24:21.250 --> 00:24:24.143
they come to school here
in Laredo.

00:24:24.167 --> 00:24:26.975
They're probably
U.S. citizens as well.

00:24:26.999 --> 00:24:29.018
-Yeah.
-It's very meshed

00:24:29.042 --> 00:24:31.351
and there's a lot of gray area.

00:24:31.375 --> 00:24:33.685
The children here,
they become adults

00:24:33.709 --> 00:24:35.894
where they're very adaptable
to other cultures,

00:24:35.918 --> 00:24:37.975
to other, you know --

00:24:37.999 --> 00:24:39.518
-Like people grow up
to already know

00:24:39.542 --> 00:24:42.393
how to put themselves
in other people's shoes.

00:24:42.417 --> 00:24:44.435
-Absolutely. They automatically
have that advantage.

00:24:44.459 --> 00:24:46.975
And they're very successful
because they just morph

00:24:46.999 --> 00:24:49.268
into wherever they're at,
and then we always hope

00:24:49.292 --> 00:24:51.602
that they come back
and contribute to Laredo.

00:24:51.626 --> 00:24:53.935
That's what we always want,
to make Laredo grow even more.

00:24:53.959 --> 00:24:56.894 position:20%
-So, here's a little, like,

00:24:56.918 --> 00:24:58.894
Laredo region teaching the world
how you can be

00:24:58.918 --> 00:25:01.975
the number-one trade port
in the United States

00:25:01.999 --> 00:25:04.768
and how you can have citizens
that come out of school

00:25:04.792 --> 00:25:07.999
ready to meld and be incredibly
adaptable, selfless, empathetic.

00:25:10.083 --> 00:25:13.935
You guys embrace that.
I love it.

00:25:13.959 --> 00:25:15.999 line:20%
♪♪

00:25:16.959 --> 00:25:20.685
The Laredos are so rich
in tradition.

00:25:20.709 --> 00:25:23.393
And there's another favorite
pastime of both

00:25:23.417 --> 00:25:25.975
the U.S. and Mexico -- baseball.

00:25:25.999 --> 00:25:28.894
I'm going back across the border

00:25:28.918 --> 00:25:30.852
to take in a game

00:25:30.876 --> 00:25:31.894
in Nuevo Laredo

00:25:31.918 --> 00:25:32.975
with my friends

00:25:32.999 --> 00:25:33.975
José and Pancho Ochoa.

00:25:33.999 --> 00:25:35.667
But first, José and I
have to pick up Pancho at work.

00:25:36.667 --> 00:25:40.000
-Hola, Pati.
-Hola.

00:25:48.417 --> 00:25:52.435
I want to grab Pancho
and I want to put him in a taco.

00:25:52.459 --> 00:25:55.560
I want to eat you up.
You're so cute!

00:25:55.584 --> 00:25:57.894
-Okay.
[ Laughter ]

00:25:57.918 --> 00:26:01.351
-Pancho built his entire
food empire

00:26:01.375 --> 00:26:03.560
around such a simple thing,
this chicken,

00:26:03.584 --> 00:26:06.918
using one little trick.

00:26:12.709 --> 00:26:15.975 line:20%
This is brilliant!

00:26:15.999 --> 00:26:19.268
-Sí.

00:26:19.292 --> 00:26:20.584
-So, there's water there
so it gets crispy and moist.

00:26:27.083 --> 00:26:30.476
Mmm, mmm, mmm!

00:26:30.500 --> 00:26:33.751
I love chicken wings.

00:26:38.250 --> 00:26:41.727
-No! That's crazy.

00:26:41.751 --> 00:26:44.975 line:20%
♪♪

00:26:44.999 --> 00:26:46.975
We know how crazy
Mexicans and Americans

00:26:46.999 --> 00:26:49.975
are about their baseball,

00:26:49.999 --> 00:26:51.518
so tagging along
with José and Pancho,

00:26:51.542 --> 00:26:53.975
a huge baseball fan,
to a game makes sense.

00:26:53.999 --> 00:26:57.435
But there is something
that really stands out

00:26:57.459 --> 00:26:59.768
about their local team here.

00:26:59.792 --> 00:27:01.626 line:20%
♪♪

00:27:07.083 --> 00:27:10.935
The Tecolotes de los
Dos Laredos,

00:27:10.959 --> 00:27:13.268
or the Tecos,
of the Mexican Baseball League,

00:27:13.292 --> 00:27:16.310
are the only binational
baseball team in the world.

00:27:16.334 --> 00:27:19.727
They play half of their home
games in Mexico

00:27:19.751 --> 00:27:21.975
and the other half across
the border in Laredo, Texas.

00:27:21.999 --> 00:27:25.518
Tonight, they're
south of the border.

00:27:25.542 --> 00:27:28.042 line:20%
♪♪

00:27:28.792 --> 00:27:32.727
No matter which side
of the border they play on,

00:27:32.751 --> 00:27:35.560
the Tecos honor both countries
and sing both

00:27:35.584 --> 00:27:38.727
the Mexican
and American national anthem.

00:27:38.751 --> 00:27:41.334 line:20%
♪♪

00:27:59.792 --> 00:28:03.560
If you've ever been
to a game in Mexico,

00:28:03.584 --> 00:28:05.727
you know it's
a different experience.

00:28:05.751 --> 00:28:08.751
The music, the mascots.

00:28:09.626 --> 00:28:10.709
But one of the biggest
differences to seeing a game

00:28:13.626 --> 00:28:16.250 position:20%
on the Mexican side
of the border -- the food.

00:28:19.334 --> 00:28:22.518
With fresh-made corn tortillas.

00:28:22.542 --> 00:28:25.768
The Tecos are not just a team
for the people

00:28:25.792 --> 00:28:28.143 position:20%
of Dos Laredos to root for.

00:28:28.167 --> 00:28:30.101
In the early 2000s,

00:28:30.125 --> 00:28:31.975
ownership moved the team
out of Nuevo Laredo

00:28:31.999 --> 00:28:34.310
to a different city in Mexico.

00:28:34.334 --> 00:28:36.518
Then, as crime
and cartel violence

00:28:36.542 --> 00:28:39.185
became a serious issue
in Nuevo Laredo,

00:28:39.209 --> 00:28:41.626
the cities organized to bring
the Tecos back in 2019,

00:28:41.792 --> 00:28:45.518
to be a sign of unity
for the region.

00:28:45.542 --> 00:28:48.602
-It was around a time when
everybody here got very unified

00:28:48.626 --> 00:28:51.268 position:20%
because of the rhetoric
that was going on against,

00:28:51.292 --> 00:28:53.975
you know, Mexicans
and especially...

00:28:53.999 --> 00:28:55.542
And so, at that moment,
it felt like we unified

00:28:57.083 --> 00:28:59.935
as two countries, as two cities.

00:28:59.959 --> 00:29:01.560
We brought together

00:29:01.584 --> 00:29:02.602
and we really fought hard
to bring back Tecos.

00:29:02.626 --> 00:29:05.059
And it's incredible
because we converge

00:29:05.083 --> 00:29:06.935
with two different countries,
two different cultures,

00:29:06.959 --> 00:29:09.560
but we converge
in a very harmonious way,

00:29:09.584 --> 00:29:12.584
and for one common ground,
which is baseball.

00:29:15.459 --> 00:29:18.643 line:20%
♪♪

00:29:18.667 --> 00:29:22.393
-Because Laredo is
the busiest port of entry

00:29:22.417 --> 00:29:24.894 position:20%
on the border for trucking

00:29:24.918 --> 00:29:26.643
and because it's less expensive
to produce things in Mexico,

00:29:26.667 --> 00:29:30.185
many companies have factories

00:29:30.209 --> 00:29:31.685
along the Mexico side
of the border,

00:29:31.709 --> 00:29:34.292
making everything from clothing
to car parts to electronics.

00:29:34.542 --> 00:29:38.393
These factories,
called maquilas or maquiladoras,

00:29:38.417 --> 00:29:42.101
produce the items,
get them onto the trucks,

00:29:42.125 --> 00:29:44.226
and ship them right
across the border

00:29:44.250 --> 00:29:46.226
to be sold in the U.S.
and all over the world.

00:29:46.250 --> 00:29:49.560
The people who work
in these maquilas

00:29:49.584 --> 00:29:51.185
are hardworking
and highly skilled,

00:29:51.209 --> 00:29:53.975
and some of them
have some serious skills

00:29:53.999 --> 00:29:56.351
outside of the factory, too.

00:29:56.375 --> 00:29:58.643 line:20%
♪♪

00:29:58.667 --> 00:30:01.975
You're looking
at one of the fiercest

00:30:01.999 --> 00:30:04.685
and nicest competitive
grilling teams

00:30:04.709 --> 00:30:07.310
this side of the border.

00:30:07.334 --> 00:30:08.975
[ Speaking Spanish ]

00:30:08.999 --> 00:30:11.727
-Edwin Morales.
-Edwin.

00:30:11.751 --> 00:30:12.894
-Carlos.
-Carlos.

00:30:12.918 --> 00:30:13.975
-[ Speaking Spanish ]

00:30:13.999 --> 00:30:16.976
-Carlos. Carlos. Carlos.

00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:20.935 line:20%
Carlos Delgado and his team
of more Carloses all met

00:30:20.959 --> 00:30:24.476
working together
at the maquilas.

00:30:24.500 --> 00:30:26.435 position:20%
What started as a hobby turned
into friendly competitions

00:30:26.459 --> 00:30:29.560
with grillers
from other maquilas.

00:30:29.584 --> 00:30:32.250
Now, they're getting serious
about competing.

00:30:37.459 --> 00:30:41.602
Carlos and his team sometimes
cook out in the parking lot

00:30:41.626 --> 00:30:44.226
at the maquila
to hone their skills.

00:30:44.250 --> 00:30:46.975
While their grilling techniques
might resemble things you'd see

00:30:46.999 --> 00:30:49.975
in a Texas barbecue
competition,

00:30:49.999 --> 00:30:52.518
they are flipping
things upside down.

00:30:52.542 --> 00:30:55.083 line:20%
I want to learn
all about the competitions.

00:31:05.125 --> 00:31:09.268
This is going to be brisket
like you've never seen before.

00:31:09.292 --> 00:31:12.685
The secret to
really good brisket

00:31:12.709 --> 00:31:14.792
is go either really slow and low
or super high and fast.

00:31:16.417 --> 00:31:19.643
-Yes.

00:31:19.667 --> 00:31:20.542
-Mexico has to go
for high and fast.

00:31:21.125 --> 00:31:22.334
They're saying that whenever
they cook, they share.

00:31:25.125 --> 00:31:27.417
Is that true?
-Yes, that's true.

00:31:41.083 --> 00:31:44.999
-Barely, barely the heat
level that I take.

00:31:46.292 --> 00:31:47.459
Look at this
beauty in this parking lot.

00:31:54.125 --> 00:31:57.999
Ooh, I have never eaten
arrachera smoked.

00:31:59.375 --> 00:32:02.643
Mm-hmm.

00:32:02.667 --> 00:32:04.626
Mmm!

00:32:04.834 --> 00:32:08.518
Competing teams
not only in the U.S.

00:32:08.542 --> 00:32:10.334
but around the world, watch out.

00:32:13.918 --> 00:32:17.727
Like, you guys are
killing me with your food

00:32:17.751 --> 00:32:20.018
and you're killing me
with your smiles.

00:32:20.042 --> 00:32:21.685
I really wish
that everyone could come

00:32:21.709 --> 00:32:23.894
and see how skilled you are,

00:32:23.918 --> 00:32:25.935
how good you are,
how proud you are.

00:32:25.959 --> 00:32:28.459
[ Speaking Spanish ]
I want another taquito.

00:32:33.709 --> 00:32:36.935 line:20%
♪♪

00:32:36.959 --> 00:32:38.935
Back across the border
in Laredo,

00:32:38.959 --> 00:32:40.792 position:20%
I have a celebration to attend
before continuing my trip.

00:32:41.375 --> 00:32:44.626 line:20%
♪♪

00:32:49.417 --> 00:32:52.667 line:20%
♪♪

00:33:04.209 --> 00:33:07.975
The pedida
is a Mexican tradition.

00:33:07.999 --> 00:33:10.226
When a couple wants
to get married, the groom

00:33:10.250 --> 00:33:12.435 position:20%
and his family ask the father
of the bride for her hand.

00:33:12.459 --> 00:33:15.560
If there's a yes,
there's a celebration

00:33:15.584 --> 00:33:17.959
to make an engagement official.

00:33:23.792 --> 00:33:27.518
It's incredible when you think
about it,

00:33:27.542 --> 00:33:29.975
where Pancho started
and what he's built.

00:33:29.999 --> 00:33:32.768
He discovered his passion
for food later in life,

00:33:32.792 --> 00:33:35.560
but he used that passion
and determination

00:33:35.584 --> 00:33:38.185
to provide all of this
for his family,

00:33:38.209 --> 00:33:41.083
where he found opportunity here,
at the border.

00:33:56.125 --> 00:33:59.935 line:20%
Garrita de Leon.
Okay, what is it?

00:33:59.959 --> 00:34:03.143
-[ Speaking Spanish ]

00:34:03.167 --> 00:34:04.476
-We're talking about food, okay?

00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:05.768
We're in the middle of you
asking for the hand

00:34:05.792 --> 00:34:08.268
of your daughter-in-law

00:34:08.292 --> 00:34:10.792
and you're explaining to me
the new taco I'm going to try.

00:34:11.375 --> 00:34:14.975
I love this so much, Pancho.

00:34:14.999 --> 00:34:16.894
I love this so much.

00:34:16.918 --> 00:34:19.975
You're just like me.

00:34:19.999 --> 00:34:21.209
It's like food
and family are like...

00:34:22.042 --> 00:34:26.167
Pancho's new taco has prime
rib eye and three salsas --

00:34:26.542 --> 00:34:30.393
chile de árbol,
pico de gallo, and avocado.

00:34:30.417 --> 00:34:33.792
You are tasting the newest
taco creation of Don Pancho

00:34:33.959 --> 00:34:37.751
right here,
just you and me and Pancho.

00:34:37.959 --> 00:34:40.999 line:20%
♪♪

00:34:42.334 --> 00:34:45.709
Mm. Mm. Mm.

00:34:49.500 --> 00:34:52.810 line:20%
Thank you.

00:34:52.834 --> 00:34:54.292
I mean, this is
like the perfect ending.

00:34:55.125 --> 00:34:56.975
I'm so happy
they said yes to you

00:34:56.999 --> 00:34:59.393
'cause they're getting into
a good taco family.

00:34:59.417 --> 00:35:01.518
[ Laughter ]

00:35:01.542 --> 00:35:04.101
I'm traveling east

00:35:04.125 --> 00:35:05.518
along the border,

00:35:05.542 --> 00:35:06.310
through the Rio Grande Valley,

00:35:06.334 --> 00:35:08.185
known for its seemingly
endless miles

00:35:08.209 --> 00:35:10.894
of fertile farmland and ranches.

00:35:10.918 --> 00:35:12.560
I'm here to meet up
with Chef Larry Delgado,

00:35:12.584 --> 00:35:14.894
one of the driving forces
behind making McAllen

00:35:14.918 --> 00:35:17.768 position:20%
one of the Texas border's
hottest food destinations.

00:35:17.792 --> 00:35:21.101 line:20%
Hi.
-Hi. How are you?

00:35:21.125 --> 00:35:22.975 line:20%
-Larry invited me out to his
friend's ranch for a cookout.

00:35:22.999 --> 00:35:26.185 line:20%
Stephanie Martinez
and her daughter Alyssa

00:35:26.209 --> 00:35:28.852 line:20%
are cattle farmers.

00:35:28.876 --> 00:35:30.643
And Larry sources
a lot of his meat

00:35:30.667 --> 00:35:32.476
for his restaurants from them.

00:35:32.500 --> 00:35:36.226
Stephanie has found
a way to reinvent

00:35:36.250 --> 00:35:38.976
the business of ranching.

00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:41.018
-We are the only wagyu breeders
down here

00:35:41.042 --> 00:35:43.976
that are totally integrated.

00:35:44.000 --> 00:35:46.351
And so our meat, we're hoping,
is to stay mainly in the valley

00:35:46.375 --> 00:35:50.435
and be able to support the
valley and supply restaurants.

00:35:50.459 --> 00:35:53.393
-Stephanie breeds a very
specific type of wagyu,

00:35:53.417 --> 00:35:56.351
or Japanese beef,
called Akaushi.

00:35:56.375 --> 00:35:58.894
She believes the Akaushi
produce a higher-quality beef

00:35:58.918 --> 00:36:01.975
with better marbling

00:36:01.999 --> 00:36:03.351
than any other cattle
she's ever seen.

00:36:03.375 --> 00:36:05.959
-Our cattle graze freely on
our buffelgrass in South Texas

00:36:06.083 --> 00:36:10.125
but they are also supplementally
fed in their pastures

00:36:10.375 --> 00:36:14.226
to give them all their
vitamins and minerals.

00:36:14.250 --> 00:36:16.602
And a part of that feed
is masa harina, which we get

00:36:16.626 --> 00:36:20.143 position:20%
from local tortilla mills.

00:36:20.167 --> 00:36:21.976
They're corn screenings,

00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:23.250
and that is the main protein
in their diet.

00:36:23.999 --> 00:36:27.685
-You grew up on a farm, right?
-Yes.

00:36:27.709 --> 00:36:30.351
Yes, I didn't grow up
on a cattle ranch.

00:36:30.375 --> 00:36:32.476
I grew up -- my dad was a farmer

00:36:32.500 --> 00:36:34.560
and he moved down here
in the '40s.

00:36:34.584 --> 00:36:36.602
And my mom was born and raised
on the West Coast.

00:36:36.626 --> 00:36:39.834
Unfortunately, at that time,
when Pearl Harbor hit,

00:36:40.125 --> 00:36:44.101
my mom got put into
a concentration camp in Arizona.

00:36:44.125 --> 00:36:47.435
When they were released, they
went back to the West Coast,

00:36:47.459 --> 00:36:51.226
but, unfortunately,
everything was gone.

00:36:51.250 --> 00:36:53.935
They moved down to the valley
where my grandfather

00:36:53.959 --> 00:36:57.476
started farming
with his brother.

00:36:57.500 --> 00:36:59.792
And my dad also came down.
That's where he met my mom.

00:37:01.709 --> 00:37:05.351
And they've been here
ever since.

00:37:05.375 --> 00:37:07.018
My dad -- I'm second generation.

00:37:07.042 --> 00:37:09.975
My children
are third generation.

00:37:09.999 --> 00:37:11.810
-You told me that

00:37:11.834 --> 00:37:12.976
you're expecting a baby.
-Yes.

00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:14.975
Yes, we're expecting
our first little girl.

00:37:14.999 --> 00:37:17.101
The ranch that we're sitting
on here today

00:37:17.125 --> 00:37:18.975
I was born and raised at.

00:37:18.999 --> 00:37:20.268
After University of Texas A&M,
I moved to McAllen,

00:37:20.292 --> 00:37:24.268
started working in town,
but now, since we're expecting,

00:37:24.292 --> 00:37:28.101
I would like to raise
our daughter on the ranch

00:37:28.125 --> 00:37:30.975
that I grew up on, too.

00:37:30.999 --> 00:37:32.393
Being a girl on a ranch,
you learn how to rope,

00:37:32.417 --> 00:37:34.768
how to ride, how to take care
of cattle, how to feed cattle.

00:37:34.792 --> 00:37:38.435
But I wouldn't learn all of
that if it wasn't for my mom,

00:37:38.459 --> 00:37:42.226
because I grew up
watching her do it.

00:37:42.250 --> 00:37:44.560
And I knew if she could do it,
I could do it.

00:37:44.584 --> 00:37:46.894
-Hope to be able to pass it on
to our children

00:37:46.918 --> 00:37:49.476
and to keep this ranch here,

00:37:49.500 --> 00:37:51.393
you know, Felo is Hispanic
and I'm Japanese,

00:37:51.417 --> 00:37:54.143
and it just makes a neat thing

00:37:54.167 --> 00:37:55.999
that we're raising quality beef
right in our backyard.

00:37:56.751 --> 00:37:59.975 line:20%
♪♪

00:37:59.999 --> 00:38:03.059
-Back at the ranch,
Larry wants to use

00:38:03.083 --> 00:38:05.125
Stephanie's beef to make
some classic Tex-Mex recipes.

00:38:05.709 --> 00:38:09.351
-Well, before we get
to the botana,

00:38:09.375 --> 00:38:10.894
I want to make a snack.
-Okay.

00:38:10.918 --> 00:38:12.393
-Very popular dish.
I might even consider it iconic

00:38:12.417 --> 00:38:15.185
in Tex-Mex food
is chile con queso.

00:38:15.209 --> 00:38:17.975 line:20%
♪♪

00:38:17.999 --> 00:38:21.351
-So, you know,
coming from Mexico City,

00:38:21.375 --> 00:38:23.768
I was shocked when I first
encountered a combo platter.

00:38:23.792 --> 00:38:27.018 position:20%
I had never been to Texas.

00:38:27.042 --> 00:38:28.435
I married my husband,
who's also from Mexico City.

00:38:28.459 --> 00:38:31.143
And we moved to Dallas.

00:38:31.167 --> 00:38:32.560
People kept saying, "You need to
drive to San Antonio

00:38:32.584 --> 00:38:34.685
to have really good
Tex-Mex food."

00:38:34.709 --> 00:38:37.059
And I remember I started
eating it and I was like,

00:38:37.083 --> 00:38:40.435
it's like it wants to be Mexican
but not really.

00:38:40.459 --> 00:38:43.351
But as the years went by
and went by,

00:38:43.375 --> 00:38:45.310
and I switched into cooking,

00:38:45.334 --> 00:38:47.292
I started learning that Tex-Mex
is not a version of Mexican

00:38:48.459 --> 00:38:51.852
but Tex-Mex is

00:38:51.876 --> 00:38:53.226
a regional Mexican food,
does its own thing.

00:38:53.250 --> 00:38:56.975
-Tex-Mex in the valley
is not the same

00:38:56.999 --> 00:38:58.976 position:20%
as Tex-Mex in San Antonio.

00:38:59.000 --> 00:39:01.268
It's not the same as Tex-Mex
in El Paso or Laredo.

00:39:01.292 --> 00:39:04.560
It's, in and of itself,
very regional.

00:39:04.584 --> 00:39:07.393
-How much does
agriculture define this region?

00:39:07.417 --> 00:39:10.560
-We're absolutely defined
by our agricultura.

00:39:10.584 --> 00:39:13.560
My parents were farmworkers
their whole lives

00:39:13.584 --> 00:39:15.393
when they were growing up.
-Okay.

00:39:15.417 --> 00:39:16.685
-And it was something
that I felt --

00:39:16.709 --> 00:39:17.975
I always felt like
I wanted to do.

00:39:17.999 --> 00:39:19.727 position:20%
-And they came from where?

00:39:19.751 --> 00:39:20.975
-They were from here,
from Texas.

00:39:20.999 --> 00:39:22.351
-Okay.

00:39:22.375 --> 00:39:23.226
-When I say
migrant farmworkers,

00:39:23.250 --> 00:39:24.560
we would go from the valley
to North Texas.

00:39:24.584 --> 00:39:27.727
-People usually think about
migrant farmworkers

00:39:27.751 --> 00:39:30.518
as coming
from one country to another,

00:39:30.542 --> 00:39:32.560
not from one region
of the U.S. to another.

00:39:32.584 --> 00:39:35.226
-Right, but if you go
from Texas to anywhere else,

00:39:35.250 --> 00:39:37.185
it's going
to a different country.

00:39:37.209 --> 00:39:39.268
I think that when people moved
here, wherever they came from,

00:39:39.292 --> 00:39:43.101
they tried so hard to assimilate
to an American culture.

00:39:43.125 --> 00:39:46.792
And now cooks like me
want to get back to doing

00:39:47.500 --> 00:39:51.185
what our
great-great-grandmothers did.

00:39:51.209 --> 00:39:52.935
-Yeah.

00:39:52.959 --> 00:39:54.143
Oh, that's looking beautiful.

00:39:54.167 --> 00:39:56.059
The meat is browning.
Queso is melting.

00:39:56.083 --> 00:39:59.560
-It's going to thicken up
just a little bit more.

00:39:59.584 --> 00:40:02.459
-Do you feel like you're at
the border here in the valley?

00:40:02.626 --> 00:40:05.975
-Absolutely.
-Yeah?

00:40:05.999 --> 00:40:07.226
-You know, I think
that most people think

00:40:07.250 --> 00:40:09.059
that Texas ends in San Antonio.
-Exactly.

00:40:09.083 --> 00:40:12.059
-And you're 300 miles
south of San Antonio.

00:40:12.083 --> 00:40:15.226
-Is there a common denominator
that connects

00:40:15.250 --> 00:40:17.101
all of the different
regional Tex-Mex variations?

00:40:17.125 --> 00:40:19.310
-Cheese.
-I love that.

00:40:19.334 --> 00:40:21.560
-Cheese is very important
to Tex-Mex,

00:40:21.584 --> 00:40:23.685
and a very specific
type of cheese.

00:40:23.709 --> 00:40:25.310
-Yeah.
-Yellow American.

00:40:25.334 --> 00:40:28.393
-We're in the Texas-Mexico
border. We need queso.

00:40:28.417 --> 00:40:31.709 line:20%
♪♪

00:40:34.709 --> 00:40:37.959 line:20%
♪♪

00:40:40.834 --> 00:40:43.975 line:20%
Mmm. Larry!

00:40:43.999 --> 00:40:47.143 line:20%
This is so good!
-Excellent.

00:40:47.167 --> 00:40:48.975 line:20%
Thank you.
-This is so good.

00:40:48.999 --> 00:40:51.894 line:20%
This is so good.
This is so good.

00:40:51.918 --> 00:40:53.999
It feels like very social food.
Not pretentious. Just welcoming.

00:40:55.209 --> 00:40:59.059
Like, jump in and make a mess.
I don't care.

00:40:59.083 --> 00:41:02.518
-Tex-Mex as a cuisine
is unapologetic

00:41:02.542 --> 00:41:04.975
about American cheese.

00:41:04.999 --> 00:41:06.560
And yes, I did call
Tex-Mex a cuisine.

00:41:06.584 --> 00:41:09.375
Fight me.
-[ Laughs ]

00:41:09.626 --> 00:41:12.975
Now, on to the botana.

00:41:12.999 --> 00:41:14.768 line:20%
♪♪

00:41:14.792 --> 00:41:17.101
-The bottom of the plate

00:41:17.125 --> 00:41:18.518
is going to be
built with tostadas.

00:41:18.542 --> 00:41:21.185
-You know what?
You're Mexicanizing

00:41:21.209 --> 00:41:22.894
your Tex-Mex, Larry.
That's what you're doing.

00:41:22.918 --> 00:41:24.975 position:20%
As more Mexican ingredients

00:41:24.999 --> 00:41:26.768
become more available north
of the border,

00:41:26.792 --> 00:41:29.101
Tex-Mex is getting
a huge infusion of the Mex.

00:41:29.125 --> 00:41:33.101
-I think that that's why
I consider the valley so unique.

00:41:33.125 --> 00:41:36.393
When we talk about local,
I mean, consider this.

00:41:36.417 --> 00:41:39.685
You are closer to Monterrey
right now

00:41:39.709 --> 00:41:41.751
than you are to San Antonio.
So, what's local anymore?

00:41:41.999 --> 00:41:45.685
We want the fajita
to fill the taco.

00:41:45.709 --> 00:41:47.894
-Oh, that's beautiful.
-Fill the size of the tortilla

00:41:47.918 --> 00:41:49.685
that we have.

00:41:49.709 --> 00:41:51.042
-Ohhh.
-Go over the top.

00:41:53.334 --> 00:41:56.518 position:20%
-Oh, my gosh,
the quesadillas go on top?

00:41:56.542 --> 00:41:58.975
-Yes, ma'am. But we're not done.

00:41:58.999 --> 00:42:01.101
To this, we would add
maybe some pickled peppers,

00:42:01.125 --> 00:42:03.975
some grilled peppers,
and, of course,

00:42:03.999 --> 00:42:05.435
we serve chile de árbol,
guacamole, fresh pico de gallo.

00:42:05.459 --> 00:42:08.667
-Come to the Rio Grande Valley
and this is the snack you get.

00:42:09.626 --> 00:42:13.643
-Start with the tortilla.
Mixture of both, how's that?

00:42:13.667 --> 00:42:15.975
-Mixture. Peppers.

00:42:15.999 --> 00:42:17.185
-Peppers, then the
chile de árbol.

00:42:17.209 --> 00:42:19.125
-Okay.
[ Laughs ]

00:42:19.918 --> 00:42:20.918
-Tell me you love it.
-I love it.

00:42:23.584 --> 00:42:27.375
This is so good.
-Scared me for a second.

00:42:27.542 --> 00:42:31.602
-You guys, join us because this
is just too much food.

00:42:31.626 --> 00:42:35.226
-Thanks for cooking, Larry.
-Oh, my pleasure.

00:42:35.250 --> 00:42:36.975
-That is great.
Thank you very much.

00:42:36.999 --> 00:42:38.792
-The meat, you guys.
The meat is ridiculous.

00:42:39.417 --> 00:42:43.226
-We enjoy not just eating it
by ourselves.

00:42:43.250 --> 00:42:46.143
It's more enjoyable when it's
with family and friends

00:42:46.167 --> 00:42:49.435 position:20%
and more people, you know.

00:42:49.459 --> 00:42:50.975
-Well, Pati, one of the things
that you're going to notice

00:42:50.999 --> 00:42:53.143 position:20%
whenever you leave here
is some people say Tex-Mex

00:42:53.167 --> 00:42:55.310
as though it's not a good thing.

00:42:55.334 --> 00:42:57.435
To us, it's everything.
It's a culture in and of itself,

00:42:57.459 --> 00:43:00.685 position:20%
the food,
the people, the community.

00:43:00.709 --> 00:43:03.059
This is where Texas and Mexico
come together

00:43:03.083 --> 00:43:05.143
for generations,
if not centuries.

00:43:05.167 --> 00:43:07.975 line:20%
♪♪

00:43:07.999 --> 00:43:10.975
-As I travel the Texas border
with Mexico, there's one topic

00:43:10.999 --> 00:43:14.417
that feels present
at every turn -- migration.

00:43:15.584 --> 00:43:19.393
It's an issue
that is constantly evolving.

00:43:19.417 --> 00:43:21.975
And I wanted to learn
more from someone

00:43:21.999 --> 00:43:23.975
who deals with it
on a daily basis.

00:43:23.999 --> 00:43:26.476
I'm in downtown McAllen to visit

00:43:26.500 --> 00:43:28.375 position:20%
with Sister Norma Pimentel.

00:43:30.334 --> 00:43:34.059
Many of the migrants
coming to America

00:43:34.083 --> 00:43:36.059
these days are coming
from Central America.

00:43:36.083 --> 00:43:39.393
After they cross the border,
they arrive here,

00:43:39.417 --> 00:43:42.268
at Sister Norma's respite
center, where they can rest,

00:43:42.292 --> 00:43:45.518
get a free meal
and some other essentials

00:43:45.542 --> 00:43:48.059
on their way
to reuniting with family

00:43:48.083 --> 00:43:50.209
who have already
come to America.

00:43:52.792 --> 00:43:56.999 line:20%
Sister Norma, how many people do
you care for on a daily basis?

00:43:57.959 --> 00:44:01.999 line:20%
-Right now, we're seeing close
to almost 700 every day.

00:44:03.375 --> 00:44:07.226
For me and for my staff,
the most important thing

00:44:07.250 --> 00:44:09.894
is to receive everybody
that is brought to us,

00:44:09.918 --> 00:44:12.959
not to turn anybody away,
to make sure that we can care

00:44:13.250 --> 00:44:16.975
and give that family
an opportunity

00:44:16.999 --> 00:44:19.018
to connect quickly
with their family

00:44:19.042 --> 00:44:20.751
and move on to their next step
in their journey.

00:44:31.959 --> 00:44:35.059 line:20%
-I see you.

00:44:35.083 --> 00:44:36.185
You get to know
every single person.

00:44:36.209 --> 00:44:39.059
Is there a common thread
in all their stories?

00:44:39.083 --> 00:44:42.226
-The common thread that I see
is the children.

00:44:42.250 --> 00:44:45.768 position:20%
I can talk to a mom and dad
with two or three children

00:44:45.792 --> 00:44:49.792
and I say [speaking Spanish],
"Why did you come?"

00:44:50.959 --> 00:44:54.476
And the dad will
immediately say,

00:44:54.500 --> 00:44:56.226
"Because I need to make sure
I can feed my family."

00:44:56.250 --> 00:44:59.143
And the mother will say,

00:44:59.167 --> 00:45:00.834
"Because my child, he's not safe
anymore in my country.

00:45:01.709 --> 00:45:05.351
I need to make sure
that all of us

00:45:05.375 --> 00:45:07.999
as family stay together
in a safe space."

00:45:08.292 --> 00:45:12.226
-I had the chance to sit down
with Sister Norma,

00:45:12.250 --> 00:45:14.560
to find out what
drives her compassion

00:45:14.584 --> 00:45:16.894
and her need to help others.

00:45:16.918 --> 00:45:18.643
How did you know that your path
was connected to immigrants?

00:45:18.667 --> 00:45:22.435
-I think it's in me to help
another human being,

00:45:22.459 --> 00:45:25.602
somebody who's suffering,
somebody who needs help.

00:45:25.626 --> 00:45:28.476
For that reason, God called me
to be religious in a nun.

00:45:28.500 --> 00:45:31.768
It's because I care about
humanity, I care about people.

00:45:31.792 --> 00:45:35.351
-Your family is a family
of immigrants.

00:45:35.375 --> 00:45:37.643
-Yes. Yes.

00:45:37.667 --> 00:45:38.518
-Did that have something
to do with it?

00:45:38.542 --> 00:45:39.560
-I think that
if I can see back now

00:45:39.584 --> 00:45:42.518
that my dad's own
personal American dream

00:45:42.542 --> 00:45:45.976
was so important
in my life

00:45:46.000 --> 00:45:47.459
because, for him, America
was a country of dreams

00:45:47.959 --> 00:45:51.310
that come true, you know?

00:45:51.334 --> 00:45:52.727
He was hopeful that
in the United States

00:45:52.751 --> 00:45:54.852
we would be better off,

00:45:54.876 --> 00:45:56.351
we could have a future,
you know.

00:45:56.375 --> 00:45:57.685
And so I think that
it's so important

00:45:57.709 --> 00:46:00.560
that people
that are not from here,

00:46:00.584 --> 00:46:02.975
that are just hearing
in the news

00:46:02.999 --> 00:46:04.975
that we have
an immigration problem,

00:46:04.999 --> 00:46:06.975
we don't have
an immigration problem.

00:46:06.999 --> 00:46:08.584
What we have is
a human reality -- a crisis.

00:46:09.209 --> 00:46:12.975
Humanity is hurting
at the border.

00:46:12.999 --> 00:46:16.435
You need to come.
You need to see because

00:46:16.459 --> 00:46:19.351
if you see that face
and you know that person

00:46:19.375 --> 00:46:22.727
and you know their story
and you know their name,

00:46:22.751 --> 00:46:25.727
it's no longer
just something out there.

00:46:25.751 --> 00:46:28.101 line:20%
It becomes very real,
right here before you.

00:46:28.125 --> 00:46:31.602 line:20%
This is why we're here
on this Earth, you know,

00:46:31.626 --> 00:46:34.584 line:20%
to make this world
a better place for all of us.

00:46:42.459 --> 00:46:45.685 line:20%
♪♪

00:46:45.709 --> 00:46:46.976
-Just an hour east of McAllen,

00:46:47.000 --> 00:46:48.935
the last major stop before
the very end of the border,

00:46:48.959 --> 00:46:52.101
is Brownsville, Texas.

00:46:52.125 --> 00:46:54.393
Here, at this U-shaped
bend in the Rio Grande,

00:46:54.417 --> 00:46:57.894
Brownsville sits across
the river from Matamoros,

00:46:57.918 --> 00:47:00.727
its sister city
in Tamaulipas, Mexico.

00:47:00.751 --> 00:47:04.059
Just 20 minutes outside
of downtown Brownsville,

00:47:04.083 --> 00:47:06.894
this stretch of the border
is known for lush forests

00:47:06.918 --> 00:47:10.310
and fertile nature preserves

00:47:10.334 --> 00:47:12.393
that seem to embrace
the deltas of the Rio Grande.

00:47:12.417 --> 00:47:15.727
As we know, the river
is the natural border

00:47:15.751 --> 00:47:18.143
between the U.S. and Mexico.

00:47:18.167 --> 00:47:20.143
But it has so many bends,

00:47:20.167 --> 00:47:22.185
twists and turns
that when the U.S. needed

00:47:22.209 --> 00:47:24.643
an efficient way

00:47:24.667 --> 00:47:25.935
to build a border wall,

00:47:25.959 --> 00:47:27.393
they just cut a straight line
across the land.

00:47:27.417 --> 00:47:30.226
Driving to one
of these preserves

00:47:30.250 --> 00:47:31.894
is a surreal experience
because you have to drive

00:47:31.918 --> 00:47:34.975
right through the border wall
to get there.

00:47:34.999 --> 00:47:36.768
So, you're actually
stealing U.S. territory

00:47:36.792 --> 00:47:39.976
on the south side of the wall.

00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:42.918
-Our mission is to preserve
the land and water

00:47:43.584 --> 00:47:46.975
that all life depends on.

00:47:46.999 --> 00:47:49.393 line:20%
-Here, at Southmost Preserve,
Sonia Najera

00:47:49.417 --> 00:47:51.975 line:20%
is the project manager,
and she and her team are focused

00:47:51.999 --> 00:47:55.393
on restoring the natural
environment of the area

00:47:55.417 --> 00:47:58.268
by growing native plants.

00:47:58.292 --> 00:48:00.185
-The area all around us

00:48:00.209 --> 00:48:01.518
has been altered
in some way or another.

00:48:01.542 --> 00:48:03.560
It's either agriculture,
it's development,

00:48:03.584 --> 00:48:07.143
and we have the border wall.

00:48:07.167 --> 00:48:08.768
-One species being affected by
the border wall is the ocelot.

00:48:08.792 --> 00:48:12.810
-Water is not an impediment
to them. They can swim across.

00:48:12.834 --> 00:48:16.059
But one thing they cannot
get through is a wall.

00:48:16.083 --> 00:48:18.393
-Mm-hmm.
-We need that genetic exchange.

00:48:18.417 --> 00:48:21.935
Otherwise,
our populations in Texas

00:48:21.959 --> 00:48:24.018
are becoming more
and more isolated.

00:48:24.042 --> 00:48:26.727 position:20%
We need native vegetation.

00:48:26.751 --> 00:48:28.935
In order for them to do the job

00:48:28.959 --> 00:48:30.393
that we need, to capture water,
to capture carbon,

00:48:30.417 --> 00:48:34.334
to provide the habitat
that the native wildlife needs,

00:48:35.167 --> 00:48:38.894
it needs large tracts of land.

00:48:38.918 --> 00:48:41.435 position:20%
-Sonia is working to harvest
and grow plants and trees,

00:48:41.459 --> 00:48:44.351
to build back
the native vegetation.

00:48:44.375 --> 00:48:47.518
But the border wall
has become a barrier

00:48:47.542 --> 00:48:49.935
to many aspects of Sonia's work.

00:48:49.959 --> 00:48:52.351
-It's not just a barrier
ecologically.

00:48:52.375 --> 00:48:54.268
It's a barrier mentally.

00:48:54.292 --> 00:48:55.975
You see the wall,
but look at the vegetation.

00:48:55.999 --> 00:48:58.935
You can hear the wildlife.
You can hear the bird community,

00:48:58.959 --> 00:49:02.459
a lot of -- all of that that is
so important and so exciting,

00:49:04.584 --> 00:49:07.975
and what is the valley.

00:49:07.999 --> 00:49:10.975
You know, for our own
well-being,

00:49:10.999 --> 00:49:12.975
we have to go beyond the wall.
-Yeah.

00:49:12.999 --> 00:49:14.975
Sonia knows the work
being done here

00:49:14.999 --> 00:49:17.143
extends even beyond the border.

00:49:17.167 --> 00:49:19.935
We've seen so many things,
you know,

00:49:19.959 --> 00:49:21.685
along our road trip
in the Texas border,

00:49:21.709 --> 00:49:23.518
but really didn't expect
to find this.

00:49:23.542 --> 00:49:25.768
-We're a thriving community,
both in flora and in fauna,

00:49:25.792 --> 00:49:29.560
and it's extremely important
to the ecology

00:49:29.584 --> 00:49:32.976
and to our well-being.

00:49:33.000 --> 00:49:34.727
You have selvas.
You have a jungle here.

00:49:34.751 --> 00:49:37.101
People don't realize that here,
in the United States,

00:49:37.125 --> 00:49:39.560
we have a plant community
that is like a jungle.

00:49:39.584 --> 00:49:43.059
-The nature here is the jewel
of the region,

00:49:43.083 --> 00:49:45.560
shared by both
the U.S. and Mexico.

00:49:45.584 --> 00:49:48.268 position:20%
And while preserves like this
are working to protect it,

00:49:48.292 --> 00:49:51.500
there's one natural resource
that might be under threat.

00:49:51.834 --> 00:49:55.185 line:20%
At the end of the border,

00:49:55.209 --> 00:49:56.894
on the Gulf of Mexico,

00:49:56.918 --> 00:49:57.975
is Boca Chica,

00:49:57.999 --> 00:49:59.393
where locals park their cars
right on the sand

00:49:59.417 --> 00:50:02.059
to spend the day fishing,
playing in the waves,

00:50:02.083 --> 00:50:04.894
and soaking up the sun.

00:50:04.918 --> 00:50:06.476 line:20%
♪♪

00:50:06.500 --> 00:50:09.435
And this beach is now home
to a giant rocket ship.

00:50:09.459 --> 00:50:12.999
Elon Musk picked this beach
as a base for SpaceX in 2014,

00:50:14.083 --> 00:50:17.975
and they've been
building their base

00:50:17.999 --> 00:50:19.476
and testing rockets ever since.

00:50:19.500 --> 00:50:21.935
The ultimate mission is to
eventually carry man to Mars.

00:50:21.959 --> 00:50:25.999
But a lot of the people here are
more concerned about this beach.

00:50:26.083 --> 00:50:29.685
-This is the launchpad,

00:50:29.709 --> 00:50:30.975
which is
at the end of the beach.

00:50:30.999 --> 00:50:32.999
And this is where they've been
launching the rockets.

00:50:33.459 --> 00:50:37.435
-Vero, it really feels like
a science-fiction scene.

00:50:37.459 --> 00:50:40.476
-Right?

00:50:40.500 --> 00:50:41.351 line:20%
-Veronica Rosenbaum is Director

00:50:41.375 --> 00:50:43.226 line:20%
of the Brownsville
Wellness Coalition,

00:50:43.250 --> 00:50:45.518
which promotes
healthy lifestyles.

00:50:45.542 --> 00:50:47.975
And part of that
is taking advantage

00:50:47.999 --> 00:50:49.685
of Brownsville's great
natural resources.

00:50:49.709 --> 00:50:52.976 position:20%
What's the general feeling?

00:50:53.000 --> 00:50:54.393
-So, there's a kind
of bittersweet, right?

00:50:54.417 --> 00:50:57.435
This beach has been
a virgin beach for a long time.

00:50:57.459 --> 00:50:59.643
So it's never been touched,
but, at the same time,

00:50:59.667 --> 00:51:02.185
it's a great experience
for our kids

00:51:02.209 --> 00:51:04.185
to learn about science,
technology,

00:51:04.209 --> 00:51:06.685
and the education
that comes with it.

00:51:06.709 --> 00:51:08.685
So I'm really torn
between both things.

00:51:08.709 --> 00:51:12.018
-The people that don't like
the idea,

00:51:12.042 --> 00:51:14.518
what are the things
that they say?

00:51:14.542 --> 00:51:15.975
-The questions are, you know,
the preservation of our beach,

00:51:15.999 --> 00:51:19.685
how are we protecting
our environment.

00:51:19.709 --> 00:51:21.393
I have four girls,
and this is where I grew up,

00:51:21.417 --> 00:51:24.101
and I would like for them
to continue coming as a family

00:51:24.125 --> 00:51:27.059
and to bring
their families, too.

00:51:27.083 --> 00:51:28.560
So those are a lot of things
that, you know,

00:51:28.584 --> 00:51:30.852
it's a controversy of it.

00:51:30.876 --> 00:51:33.667
I really feel as if
someone's building a sand castle

00:51:34.584 --> 00:51:38.560
right there that's going
to take someone to the moon.

00:51:38.584 --> 00:51:41.894
It's someone's dream.
It's someone's project.

00:51:41.918 --> 00:51:45.602
And I am privileged
that I have the opportunity

00:51:45.626 --> 00:51:48.975
to be able to see it.

00:51:48.999 --> 00:51:50.685
But, at the same time,

00:51:50.709 --> 00:51:54.476
I understand the concerns
that come with it. Yes, it has its challenges.
Yes, it has its consequences.

00:51:54.500 --> 00:51:57.999
But let's make it a safe space
for everyone.

00:52:00.292 --> 00:52:02.584
-And so we've reached
the very end of the border,

00:52:04.292 --> 00:52:07.226
standing next to a rocket
on the Gulf of Mexico.

00:52:07.250 --> 00:52:10.626
I've said the border
is filled with surprises.

00:52:10.959 --> 00:52:14.918
That smells like a taquita.
Totally unexpected.

00:52:16.834 --> 00:52:20.375
Hey.
Am I crashing your party?

00:52:20.584 --> 00:52:23.975
-Yes. Welcome.

00:52:23.999 --> 00:52:25.393 position:20%
-I've stumbled upon
the Boca Chica Beach Boys,

00:52:25.417 --> 00:52:27.602
a club with members
from both sides of the border,

00:52:27.626 --> 00:52:31.393
who've been grilling
and enjoying the beach

00:52:31.417 --> 00:52:33.685
for over 10 years.

00:52:33.709 --> 00:52:35.185
And just my luck,
they're making tacos.

00:52:35.209 --> 00:52:38.935
-We have fajitas, beef ribs.

00:52:38.959 --> 00:52:40.975
-Ooh!

00:52:40.999 --> 00:52:42.626 line:20%
-Arrachera, yeah.

00:52:44.167 --> 00:52:45.894
-But Bobby and his crew
are not just here to grill.

00:52:45.918 --> 00:52:49.018
They're outspoken
opponents of SpaceX.

00:52:49.042 --> 00:52:52.268 line:20%
-All of us want this beach
to be just like it is.

00:52:52.292 --> 00:52:54.935 line:20%
We want to be able to come
at a drop of a hat's notice,

00:52:54.959 --> 00:52:58.310 line:20%
but many times they close it.

00:52:58.334 --> 00:53:00.393
But if you see
what he advertises on TV,

00:53:00.417 --> 00:53:02.894
he wants daily launches.

00:53:02.918 --> 00:53:04.059
So that means we're going
to lose this beach.

00:53:04.083 --> 00:53:06.727
And we're devastated
about that, really.

00:53:06.751 --> 00:53:09.226
-The community here
is understandably torn

00:53:09.250 --> 00:53:11.476
on this issue, and the debate
will continue on for years.

00:53:11.500 --> 00:53:15.059
But there is one thing
I'm certain of now.

00:53:15.083 --> 00:53:16.975
No matter any controversy
in La Frontera,

00:53:16.999 --> 00:53:19.602
you will find tacos
even at the end of the border.

00:53:19.626 --> 00:53:23.000
Ay, it's rib eye.
-Yes.

00:53:25.334 --> 00:53:28.852
-It looks beautiful.

00:53:28.876 --> 00:53:31.000 line:20%
It's only fitting, right?

00:53:31.999 --> 00:53:34.226 line:20%
Just as I didn't know
how my journey would begin,

00:53:34.250 --> 00:53:36.975 line:20%
I had absolutely no idea

00:53:36.999 --> 00:53:38.975 line:20%
I would eat carne asada tacos
until the end,

00:53:38.999 --> 00:53:42.268
this time practically where
the Texas-Mexico border ends.

00:53:42.292 --> 00:53:46.268
But just as the border ends
where the Rio Grande

00:53:46.292 --> 00:53:48.975
flows into something greater,

00:53:48.999 --> 00:53:50.975
so do many of the stories
of the people from La Frontera

00:53:50.999 --> 00:53:54.602
as their impact reaches
not only one country but two.

00:53:54.626 --> 00:53:57.975
And hey,
maybe to a new frontier.

00:53:57.999 --> 00:54:00.685
Meanwhile, the tacos,

00:54:00.709 --> 00:54:02.226 line:20%
the stories and the conversation
continue on.

00:54:02.250 --> 00:54:05.334 line:20%
And I will be back for more.

00:54:07.375 --> 00:54:10.626
♪♪

00:54:17.417 --> 00:54:20.667
♪♪