For a soulless city, Phoenix certainly has an interesting airport. The last time I was here, supposedly on business, I had my boarding pass issued by a vampire and found myself being herded through security by an official dressed as a giant chicken. Then it was Halloween, but here we are on an ordinary June afternoon and circumstances seem no less strange. I am stuck in a lift between arrivals and car rental with a Mexican cradling a large, foul-smelling ice chest in his arms.
What’s in the box? I ask.
‘A feesh,’ he whispers, ‘for my wife and children. I catch him in Veracruz.’
A sea bass, you understand, will not be the only thing smuggled out of Mexico today. Illegal immigration has shot to the top of the US political agenda and with a view to researching a documentary on the subject, I am, along with two colleagues, heading down to the Mexican border to talk to the disparate factions who stand on opposing sides of this increasingly bitter front line.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in