The year 2000 did not start with the terror and the collapse of technology, prophesied by the Y2K scare. However, the following year did change how our country defined terror. Since 9/11, few places have changed as much as El Paso del Norte. It’s not just the new physical barriers that partition our home, but the psychological divisions as well.
A temporary swell in immigration in the 90’s (similar to the ones that began 100 years earlier), made El Paso del Norte a testing ground for the country’s policy development. We were already home to a joint 21-agency operation facility, known as the El Paso Intelligence Center. This Fort Bliss facility was essentially the mobile command center of the Western Hemisphere. With the development of Homeland Security and ICE, our home has become a vital hub to the United States. Regardless of the specific alterations to our home, the most significant changes were still on the horizon and not originating from our area.