A decade ago, Ivan Zamora, 23, might have already left for the United States. Instead, he graduated in May from a gleaming new university here, then moved on to an engineering internship at one of the many multinational companies just beyond the campus gates.His days now begin at dawn inside the new Volkswagen factory a short walk away, and when he leaves at night, he joins a rush of the upwardly mobile — from the cavernous new Pirelli plant next door, an array of Japanese car-parts suppliers and a new Nivea plant on a grassy hillside.via In Middle of...

The best part about going to Boquillas, in the Mexican state of Coahuila, might just be arriving. You float in near bliss for 30 seconds or so as Carmelo Sandoval rows you across the Rio Grande into Mexico.“More people are coming” he says excitedly in Spanish.The border was sealed by presidential order in 2002. Before then, thousands of people crossed informally as they had for generations.And trade benefited both countries. Visitors to Big Bend National Park in Texas tacked on a trip into Mexico to savor another culture for a few hours.Mexicans accounted for 40 percent of the revenue...