San Antonio to Tucson

We will be traveling first time to see southwest this fall, taking the more northern route--roughly along Route 40 through Amarillo and Albuquerque. We plan to head east from Tucson and want to return through San Antonio. We are not sure best routes between those two cities especially considering so many issues along the southern U.S. border. We have visited border towns and Mexico from eastern TX so are not planning to go into Mexico this trip. Even if we stopover in El Paso, should we then head east toward those scenic mountains, not I-10, and then some route southeast to San Antonio? Will appreciate info from those of you who know that area well.