Mexicans Seeking To Reconquer The Southwest

The recent rallies supporting rights for illegal aliens brought la reconquista, the movement calling for Mexico to "reconquer" America's Southwest, to the attention of the main stream media.

the Washington Times reports even though organizers urged marchers to display U.S. flags, the theme of reclaiming "stolen" land remained strong.

A popular banner carried by the marchers read: "If you think I'm illegal because I'm a Mexican, learn the true history because I'm in my homeland."

The reconquista movement has been followed in the blogosphere for some time. But according to the Times, the reconquista movement has surprised longtime immigration watchers such as Ira Mehlman, the Los Angeles-based spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform:

"I've always been skeptical myself about this [reconquista], but what I've seen over the last few weeks leads me to believe that there's more there than I thought," Mr. Mehlman said.

"You're seeing people marching with Mexican flags chanting, 'This is our country.' I don't think that we can dismiss this as youthful exuberance or a bunch of hotheads," he said.

Hispanic rights leaders insist there's nothing to the reconquista movement. The Times reports Nativo Lopez, president of the Mexican American Political Association in Los Angeles, one of the march organizers, was infuriated when a reporter asked him about the reconquista:

"I can't believe you're bothering me with questions about this. You're not serious," Mr. Lopez said. "I can't believe you're bothering with such a minuscule, fringe element that has no resonance with this populous."

Mr. Lopez is wrong, the banners and Mexican flags demonstrate that the reconquista movement is more than a "minuscule, fringe element that has no resonance with this populous."

Writing in Foreign Policy in 2004, Samuel P. Huntington observed:

No other immigrant group in U.S. history has asserted or could assert a historical claim to U.S. territory. Mexicans and Mexican Americans can and do make that claim. Almost all of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah was part of Mexico until Mexico lost them as a result of the Texan War of Independence in 1835-1836 and the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. Mexico is the only country that the United States has invaded, occupied its capital—placing the Marines in the “halls of Montezuma”—and then annexed half its territory. Mexicans do not forget these events. Quite understandably, they feel that they have special rights in these territories.

Huntington's article, "The Hispanic Challenge," is introduced with this warning:

The persistent inflow of Hispanic immigrants threatens to divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures, and two languages. Unlike past immigrant groups, Mexicans and other Latinos have not assimilated into mainstream U.S. culture, forming instead their own political and linguistic enclaves—from Los Angeles to Miami—and rejecting the Anglo-Protestant values that built the American dream. The United States ignores this challenge at its peril.

As we contemplate immigration reform including the possibility of creating a path to citizenship for as many as 12 million illegal aliens, we should consider the reality of the reconquista movement and Huntington's warning. If we ignore these issues we will be seeing more billboards like the one which substitutes "Los Angeles, CA" with "Los Angeles, CA Mexico."

Comments

[Salvador]

It's about time to get our land back!

[V Carrera]

karma is a bitch gringo the universe pays things back ten fold. thats why white people are so scared. because they know they are outnumbered and weak. while they are playing manifest destiny with the east they overlooked that they lost the west.

VIVA LA RAZA

[Reconquistador]

The United Staes of AZTLAN

-Califaztlan,Califas-[California]
-Ariztlan,Ariza-[Arizona]
-Nevaztlan,Nevaz-[Nevada]
-Utaztlan,Utaz-[Utah]
-Nuevo Mexico-[New Mexico]
-Coloraztlan-[Colorado]
-Tejaztlan,Tejas-[Texas]
-Kansaztlan-[Kansas]
-Oklaztlan,Oklas-[Oklahoma]

[Walter E. Wallis]

It is time to respond Mexico was a loser then, Mexico is a loser now. Why would anyone want to join a loser?