Thread: What Mexican Texas Teaches Us about Unbridled Immigration

The Mexicans learned the lesson. Will we?

March 12, 2011

What Mexican Texas Teaches Us about Unbridled Immigration

By Nicholas Cheong
17 Comments

The history of Texas is unique among western states. First claimed by France, it quickly became part of the Spanish colonies in America, so Mexico included Texas in its successful bid for independence. Shortly after, Texas seceded from Mexico and asked to be annexed by the United States. During the Civil War, Texas was one of the states that seceded under the Confederate flag. All these led to the expression "Six Flags over Texas."

The post-Columbian history of Texas, and particularly the period between Mexican Texas and its annexation by the United States, is full of lessons for any student of political science. It is also a window into what may happen in the United States if unbridled illegal immigration is allowed to continue.

Newly independent Mexico, wisely knowing that it could not properly defend its new borders in the northwest, made the decision to liberalize its immigration policies, thereby successfully encouraging many new immigrants from the United States to settle in Texas.

At first, the trickle of United States immigrants was small and manageable. Over the years, however, more and more United States citizens, in the true American spirit, moved into Mexico with the purpose of settling down. Many of these new immigrants refused to assimilate into their new country of adoption -- they owned slaves, for example, and tried to circumvent the anti-slavery law by "converting" their slaves into indentured servants. Very soon, Mexican citizens were outnumbered by American citizens in their own land.

Taking over another land is not merely a matter of winning a war and stationing one's troops there. The winning country's citizens have to settle down and remain for generations in order to secure and legitimize their hold on the new territory. That is why Israeli settlers were encouraged in the West Bank and Han Chinese settlers in Tibet.

President Anastasio Bustamante of Mexico understood this fact more than 170 years ago. He banned immigration by United States citizens to Texas in 1830 and tried to tighten and enforce immigration and customs practices. Since Texas was so huge and sparsely populated, Bustamente was not very successful. In 1832, there was a revolt against customs enforcement. Texans drove all Mexican soldiers out of East Texas, and the unrest finally culminated in the Texas Revolution, in which Texas became an independent republic.

Meanwhile, prominent Texans lobbied for the United States to annex Texas. The United States Congress were very reluctant to do so, but they finally approved the annexation of Texas in 1845, following which there was a brief and victorious war with Mexico.

When the number of immigrants grows rapidly and beyond control in a territory, ethnic neighborhoods are likely to sprout up, and assimilation into the adopted land's culture and practices will not happen as it should. Original inhabitants soon become second-class citizens in their own land as businesses and even the government start accommodating and pandering to the alien demographic.

The problem is usually not as serious when large numbers of immigrants come from diverse geographical locations and cultural backgrounds (such as those in New York City). However, when the immigrants are united in language, culture, or citizenship, they will find unity in subverting their adopted land's laws, and they will eventually get involved in its politics and start demanding rights previously accorded only to citizens. Very soon -- de jure or de facto -- the adopted land turns into an extended part of the immigrants' home country, and it becomes impossible to reverse course.

With the recent demands by Latino illegal immigrants for the passage of the DREAM Act and amnesty, the United States is in a position where Mexico was in 1830 with regard to Texas. The United States had better learn from its annexation of Texas more than 160 years ago and act decisively about this problem.

Nicholas Cheong is a recent immigrant to the United States. He blogs at comopolis.blogspot.com

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/03/ ... es_us.html

"Mexican Texas?

You've been talking to George again I see ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77JvpID0W8w

We have had:
An obvious traitorous dangerous assault against the American Republic.

Progressive policy in action. Creating adversity instead of a common, nation of lawful Diversity. Assimilation is created by those enthusiasm,
lawful, and respectful. Not by those choosing between two evils and which one has the give aways!

I don't know. Some days I think we are just too late. But I'll Stand!

Here is the real story the author forgot to mention:

With the defeat of its army and the fall of the capital, Mexico City, in September 1847 the Mexican government surrendered to the United States and entered into negotiations to end the war. The peace talks were negotiated by Nicholas Trist, chief clerk of the State Department, who had accompanied General Winfield Scott as a diplomat and President Polk's representative. Trist and General Scott, after two previous unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a treaty with Santa Anna, determined that the only way to deal with Mexico was as a conquered enemy. Nicholas Trist negotiated with a special commission representing the collapsed government led by Don Bernardo Couto, Don Miguel Atristain, and Don Luis Gonzaga Cuevas of Mexico.

Under the terms of the treaty negotiated by Trist, Mexico ceded to the United States Upper California and New Mexico. This was known as the Mexican Cession and included present-day Arizona and New Mexico and parts of Utah, Nevada, and Colorado (see Article V of the treaty). Mexico relinquished all claims to Texas and recognized the Rio Grande as the southern boundary with the United States (see Article V).

The United States paid Mexico $15,000,000 "in consideration of the extension acquired by the boundaries of the United States" (see Article XII of the treaty) and agreed to pay American citizens debts owed to them by the Mexican government (see Article XV). Other provisions included protection of property and civil rights of Mexican nationals living within the new boundaries of the United States (see Articles VIII and IX), the promise of the United States to police its boundaries (see Article XI), and compulsory arbitration of future disputes between the two countries (see Article XXI).

http://www.las-cruces.org/public-servic ... atylm.html

The truth is, America paid for a land that Mexico took from Spain in the first place after the US beat Mexico in war. We even took their capitol which we gave back to them. We could have taken the whole country and not given them anything in return. Its petty ungrateful that after a treaty where Mexico agreed to give up land for a sum of money that now they want it back. This show how they do not honor treaties or their won word.

Uh Yeah! But now America. It is on the auction block.
Republic fo sale. Destruction to the highest bidder.

Footnote from me.... Not without a FIGHT.... FOOL!

Very soon, Mexican citizens were outnumbered by American citizens in their own land.

Because it was Indian occupied frontier and not even the Catholic (Spain) settlements survive and they were abandoned. Texas was Mexico in name only. Mexico doesn't like to admit it but even Mexicans fought for the Republic of Texas.

Dixie