The coincidence of presidential elections in the U.S. and Mexico every 12 years provides a valuable way to compare the two countries. With the U.S. presidential election looming, immigration is roiling politics this year. But, in Mexico, immigration is not even part of the political conversation. The different ways migration is resonating in the countries’ elections reflects the neighbors’ different styles of democracy. Mexico has stronger political parties and more economically driven debates. The difference is particularly stark in two places on either side of the border disrupted by the most recent influx of migrants — Monterrey, Mexico and Denver, Colorado.