National Geographic Channel’s “Border Wars”

In case you have missed it, the National Geographic Channel has just introduced a show entitled “Border Wars,” which I watched briefly over the weekend. It looked to me like the show is part of an effort to boost ratings, similar to fellow National Geographic shows “Taboo” and “Locked Up Abroad.”

“Border Wars,” a title designed to attract attention as well as capitalize on fears, is kind of an extended ride along with the Border Patrol.  It reminded me of something akin to Fox’s “Cops” or “America’s Most Wanted,” but focused on the U.S./Mexico border region.  The show shows efforts to track down would-be migrants as well as drug smugglers.  I found it a bit hard to watch the tracking down of human beings.  I had that same uncormfortable feeling I had more than a decade ago riding with the Border Patrol along the border south of San Diego when Operation Gatekeeper began.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is working with the National Geographic Channel in producing the show and is touting the high ratings of the series premiere on January 10.

The Equal Justice Society has taken the position that Border Wars “fosters hatred and violence against immigrants.”  John Carlos Frey on the Huffington Post refers to the show as a “ratings grab.”

KJ