ABSTRACT
The longstanding conflict along the U.S.–Mexico border has its roots in the Texas republic era (1836-1846). Internal conflicts, wars, and revolutions, on both sides of the border, often exacerbated international border security. Race and culture need to be factored in any analysis given the police and military resources directed toward the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.–Mexico border vis-à-vis the virtually open 5,000-plus-mile border with Canada. That said, the law enforcement agency most noted for enforcing white-dominated rule within Texas and along its long border with Mexico is the Texas Rangers. Long lauded as a heroic force for justice in myth and media, a closer examination of their history paints a vastly different picture of these law officers.
