That was exactly my experience in El Paso. I guess it was my ignorance, but the surprise of the city essentially being Mexican shocked me! From the blurring of the border to the streetside shops/bars and barrios... its a perfect example of whats wrong at our borders. God bless the locals trying to better themselves the right way. ...
El Paso has been this way for years. If you drive in the area South of I-10, you will swear you are in Mexico. It appears that Juarez is trying to annex El Paso a little bit at a time.