August 30, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson
I want to find out where the negative and sweeping misinformation develops, regarding the ease of crossing a US – Mexican border or in my other experiences, regarding the crossing of a Colombian-Ecuadorian border or the Peruvian-Bolivian border.
I had plugged into the method for reaching Ecuador by land after staying in Colombia for a few months and likewise reversed my way back into Ecuador. Seeing the respective entry and exit signs, within feet of one another was mesmerizing. Cheaper than a plane, my hesitation of doing so was surpassed by my curiosity and how much less my trip would be versus the many flights I was taking around South and North America. My trip also required taxis.
This has me questioning what does that expression of “open borders “actually refer to? When people say that, referring to rogue policies that supposedly greatly harm a nation, I am left wondering. I am not experiencing some ease of driving, walking or flying between borders. There has always been paperwork (now electronic) inquiries to complete about the purpose of the visit, the duration of the stay, and the need for a stamp and approval by officials. There is all this and the requirement of passports, Visas, IDs and permission. I see this with the many people in line ahead of me as well, so I do not get the negative presumptions and imagery of easy border crossings.
There have always been officials when I passed through. I know people can overstay their Visa or lose status. For example, their work or tourist Visa may expire. People can also be denied entry at the border, needing to show proof of their return trip or be denied for other reasons.
Still, I cannot help but think about the alleged rhetoric itself. Then alternatively, I also cannot help but think of other attempted entry points that would then be the risky and / or treacherous ones, (such as between Venezuela and Colombia). My perspective and that of other travelers counters a generic presumption of easy crossings and soft policies.
Perhaps someone can tell me here or someone can tell me out there, one day. I happen to think a perspective from experiences that I have read, experienced, and been told is missing especially since lackadaisical entrance does not make the most pragmatic sense.
In another time, could a border have been more forgiving and spoke to just the natural sense of people migrating to places back and forth, before stakes were claimed and/or taken.
My tourist stay in Bolivia was approved through the standard process along with an additional fee charged to Americans, especially for Americans. I noted it was reciprocal in 2011, between the United States and Bolivia specifically. (I am not sure what it could be now). Still there was no lackadaisical, easy process, as I would always assume there not to be.
Likewise, riding the bus from Mexico into the US ultimately led me into an office where many Mexican travelers and I were addressed and instructed by immigration officials, per the required process duly including the proven documentation of our identities, status and nationalities.
Completing the proper series of steps is coupled with following the standard protocols.
Otherwise, not crossing properly is paired with extreme risks of being targeted, exploited, and/or battling with treacherous terrain or waters.
The crossing of borders that does not also bring with it bureaucracy or risk is something I cannot imagine. The well-connected traveler could have an easier go, but hardly the ones with scarce resources, who are the very picture I see people have in mind when they start disparaging harmful narratives that begin with this idea of “open borders”.