And that's the real point. They are a nation, and they claim the land. In Spaniard society, nothing is more important.
The humiliation of 1848 still looms large in their minds.
Many times I have been lectured by hispanic friends that "you gonna speak Spanish" someday. It wasn't a friendly comment - it was a threat and a statement of fact: once we re-take our dirt, then we will dictate terms.
This is not the rhetoric of "immigrants", of any flavor.
It is the statement of a conquering invader.
Why do they love Spain so much? And why do they lay claim to land up to Colorado?