EAGLE PASS, Texas — Border communities and local businesses are stuck in two separate time periods with conflicting COVID security protocols. An American can today walk into the local Wal-Mart Supercenter without a mask. A Mexican wanting to run the same shopping trip from a few miles away is still stuck at home as if it were May 2020. A single Central American migrant trying to simply get to Eagle Pass faces immediate expulsion if found by Border Patrol. The freedoms of movement between these individuals are linked thanks to differing federal rules–while local economies pay the price.
