Feds and civilian groups patrol the international border on the National Geographic show.

-- by Jon Caramanica, Special to the Los Angeles Times:

From both sides, the stretch of the Rio Grande that paints the border between southeast Texas and northern Mexico doesn't look that wide. To those trying to make it to the United States, either in search of opportunity or to sell illegal goods, it's a hop worth attempting, even if it takes multiple times to achieve success. To those trying to keep those crossers at bay, it's barely an obstacle at all, not even wide enough to obscure the activities of those on the other side.

The docuseries "Border Wars" (National Geographic, 8 p.m. Wednesdays) focuses on the perspective of the latter group. It's "COPS" with an added dose of geopolitics: Each episode focuses on a handful of efforts undertaken by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to bring order to a porous border, not always successfully.

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