No comparison. Miami is still when all is said and done a large metropolitan city. The towns I'm thinking of all rural towns, hours away from what you or I would probably call civilization. Places where the locals drive to Roma (population 9000) to shop.
It wasn't on the border, but I lived in a little town of 882, 20 miles from the big city of 8,000 for almost a decade. While the language thing doesn't come into play, it was an eye opener about a way of life I'd never seen, nor want to again. Most of the residents are born there and will die there. A good percentage will never venture outside of the area for more than a weekend in their whole lives.
Little border towns are all that, but in place of distinct country accent, they speak Spanish.
So are you saying kids don’t learn English in border towns in American public schools.
We spoke Portugese at my home in Miami and Spanish with our empleada and my girls did not speak English till around 4-5 years old in kindergarten but they picked it up immediately after that...like 3 months tops....conversational for their age.
If they teach in English or simply teach English in border towns then I can’t imagine children don’t learn just as quick.
We continued to speak non English at home since my ex wife did not know English and being in Miami did not need it really....at least not in Coral Gables