Phyllis Schlafly: Are Mexican Immigrants Assimilating Or Invading?

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, support for the United States has poured in from around the world, but the response from Mexico has been decidedly lukewarm. A Gallup poll reported that 78 percent of Mexicans oppose contributing troops to a multinational coalition, and we have seen no indication that Mexico will modify its oil policy of acting like a member of OPEC.

While there is no evidence that the 9/11 terrorists entered over the Mexican border, the trial in El Paso of an Iraqi smuggler produced evidence that he alone brought more than 1,000 Middle East illegals into the United States via that route, charging his clients $10,000 to $15,000 each. Border Patrol agents have confirmed the increase in illegal aliens coming from the Middle East across our southern border and the fact that Arabs pay up to $50,000 each for a "coyote" to smuggle them into the United States.

The 9/11 events have temporarily shelved the foolish proposals to grant amnesty to three million Mexicans illegally living in our country. Unfortunately, there is no indication that Mexico has retreated from its longtime goal of opening the U.S. border.

In Chicago on July 27, 1997, then Mexican President Ernesto Zedilla told the National Council of LaRaza, "I have proudly affirmed that the Mexican nation extends beyond the territory enclosed by its borders." He announced a Mexican constitutional amendment that purports to allow Mexicans to retain their Mexican nationality even though they become U.S. citizens (which is contrary to the U.S. naturalization oath).

When President Vicente Fox came to the United States this year, he reiterated this line, proclaiming that "the Mexican nation extends beyond the territory enclosed by its borders" and includes migrants living in the United States. He called for open borders and endorsed Mexico's new dual citizenship law.

Some Mexicans use the term "reconquista," which is Spanish for reconquest, to describe their desire to see California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas acquired by Mexico and named the new country of Aztlan. They are teaching their youth that the United States "stole" those areas from Mexico and that they should be "returned."

The United States acquired the Southwest a century and a half ago in three ways: part by the 1845 annexation agreement with Texas, which was then an independent republic, part ceded by Mexico in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo after the Mexican-American War, and part by the 1852 Gadsden Purchase.

Mexico's claim to the Southwest originated with the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, which drew an imaginary line on the map to divide the Western Hemisphere between Spain and Portugal. Because geography had so many unknowns at that time, Portugal got only Brazil (which is why Brazilians speak Portuguese).

Other countries never recognized this treaty, and Americans consider it ridiculous even to talk about giving the Southwest to Mexico. Most national borders all over the world have come about as the result of war.

Mexicans obviously have no thought of invading the Southwest with troops, so their hope is reconquista by migration, both legal and illegal. According to Mario Obledo, founder of the Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund, "California is going to be a Hispanic state and anyone who doesn't like it should leave."

An amnesty rally in the Los Angeles Sports Arena on June 10, 2000 attracted 25,000 people. In demanding amnesty for illegal Mexican aliens, the speakers proudly announced the names of at least a dozen unions in Los Angeles that are now headed by Mexicans.

Vicente Fox presented Mexico's Congress with a five-year development plan to eliminate the U.S.-Mexican border. He said he plans to serve "the 100 million Mexicans who now live in Mexico and the more than 18 million who live abroad," and to "strengthen our ability to protect and defend the rights of all Mexicans abroad."

Juan Hernandez, appointed by Fox as special liaison to Mexicans abroad, lobbies to get U.S. driver's licenses issued to illegal aliens and defends the Mexican government's issuance of desert survival kits to those sneaking across the border. On ABC's Nightline on June 7, he boasted: "We are betting that the Mexican-American population in the United States ... will think Mexico first."

Fox's five-year plan calls for building a larger consular presence in the United States, and this is already in operation. In U.S. areas with large Hispanic (including illegal) populations, the Mexican consul donates to the local public schools the same textbooks that are used in every elementary school in Mexico, grades 1 through 6.

The books, written in Spanish and including all academic subjects, teach that America "stole" the southwest from Mexico and that Mexico is entitled to take it back. The Mexican government considers these textbooks a symbol of Mexican national pride, guarantees a set to every Mexican child, and makes it a crime for anyone to sell them.

The only reason we learned about this Mexican plan is that one school in Santa Ana, California, decided to sell the books at a book fair and the local Hispanics kicked up a fuss about it. The school apologized to the Hispanics for selling the books, but should have apologized to the students for accepting the books in the first place.

The question we should ask our Mexican immigrant friends is, are you assimilating or invading?

We all realize that you are of Mexican ancestry and heritage and that you value that but, that is not enough to dismiss the abuses by the current illegal immigrants that have entered this Country, nor does it give you rights to call anyone that does not agree in lockstep with you names, i.e.: racists, as it also does not give you rights to tell us that our opinions are wrong. You can disagree with our opinions, but they are not necessarily wrong because you say so.

I am on the East Coast, my particular city and area is becoming "infested" with illegal Mexicans. I say "infested" because that is what it is like. I am not a racist, and I am not against Mexican's as people, as Americans. I am a single woman and an equal opportunity dater, meaning I have dated a few "Mexican ancestry" men, one seriously. Here is the difference though; he was an American, an Army Ranger, and his ancestry was not a part of his daily life - as he was an American. His values, his language, his attitudes were American, and he looked down on people regardless of their ethnicity that were lazy, criminals, abusers of the system, etc. Back to my East Coast area. Again, he was an American. The Floridian Cubans made me mad last year during the Elian Fiasco when they were waving the Cuban flag while demanding our American rights, just as Mexicans who fly the Mexican flag, not as part of a "holiday," but regularly, do.

I went to McDonald's the other morning there was a picture of a Mexican man with his name next to the drive through, he was named Hispanic Employee of the month by the (get this) "Hispanic Chamber of Commerce!" On the window where you pick up your food was another sign saying "Proud Member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce." Excuse me, I don't live in Hispanic town, I live in Jesse Helms town - we have a Chamber of Commerce for the City, why do we need a "Hispanic" one? This does not tell me that the current immigrants are assimilating, or even trying to.

I go to my grocery store, half the clerks cannot even understand me, nor me them. To me this is a problem. I was there one day, there were two other people, "Americans," in the aisle also, we were just doing our shopping when suddenly we heard "Spanish" come over the loud speaker. We all looked at each other with "what the heck" kind of expressions; the announcement was redone in English momentarily. Again, this is not assimilating.

I moved here a few years ago from NY, I am still living in an apartment complex. It is an older complex, large apartments, good rent, prime location. For background, a friend from work lives less than a quarter of a mile from me and pays more ($250 a month) for her 1 bedroom that is also less than half my sq. footage for more money because she prefers "new," and the marketing appeal the "new" offers - I guess they have shinier brochures - as my complex offers the same amenities. Until the past year my complex had a lot of professionals. Within the last year they have been giving up their leases. Six notices have come out from management telling us that the parking lots are not for congregating, that furniture meant for the house is not allowed on the patios, that children need to be accompanied to the pool, the tennis courts, the "workout" room, that cars would be inspected visually for up to date licensure and inspection, and so on. There was even one that told us the manner in which our rent had to be paid, not the date, but suddenly the manner of payment changed. (as a side note: we, for a temporary period of time had a different Manager than the one that checked all backgrounds for 16 plus years due to her death - I guess the new Manager was a fill in and not doing well - she is gone now) The oddest thing though was that we received a notice telling us that addressed how many of us were allowed in each apartment and where it was specified in our leases. Did I fail to mention that our complex had within that time suddenly had grown to having a large "Hispanic" population? I also failed to mention that in the last year our crime factor had risen over 25%. Within the past few months there have been quite a few moving trucks, and the complex seems to be getting back to "normal." Thank God for new management.

The point of my wordy post though is that no one is necessarily being a "racist" because we speak out on the newest onslaught of illegal immigrants. We, Americans, just do not want to see our "culture" intruded upon, changed, disrespected, turned into slums, taxes going up to support those that are not citizens, a new language being used as if though it was the "language;" that is regardless of nationality, it just so happens that it is the Mexicans that are doing this, not another nationality.

You seemed to make light of the fact that European immigrants gave up all for a passage to American, you did not address the fact that those immigrants had to go through "processing" before entering the Country, and that they may have been sent back if they did not meet the stringent rules allowing them in, losing the money they paid to get here, plus all they may have had in their home country. The illegal Mexicans do not face that burden. You said the Mexicans were dirt farmers, what did they have to go back to; well, I ask what did the European immigrants have to go back to in their war slaught, sometimes disease ridden Countries, with no jobs, and now no goods as they had sold all to come here?

Your comments, in my opinion, are without thought, and just made with bias based on your heritage. Just because you are Mexican does not mean that all Mexicans are of good nature and heart, just as no one nationality or person is. Don't try to stick up for them all just because you share the same heritage. I will give the Mexicans time to assimilate, if they are here legally, and if they try, but forming a "Hispanic Chamber of Commerce" to me is not trying to assimilate, nor is the trying to get Spanish as a second language, waving the Mexican flag, speaking Spanish on the loud system at the grocery store, congregating in parking lots, collecting welfare, taking advantage of our system, etc. This is America, not Mexico-America.

At that time, Oxnard Ca. was 20% Mexican primarily because there are a lot of farms out this way. Now Oxnard is 65-70% Mexican.The crime rate has increased 120%...the homicide rate is up 260%....gangbangers abound and older people are afraid to go out at night. Pretty little homes in 1983 are now slums by the HUNDREDS,and property values have plummeted.

I read things like this and I don't know whether to cry or scream. It's such an outrage. Why was this allowed to happen? And not only was it allowed, but we are continually told that we should be thrilled about it; otherwise, we are evil, mean-spirited racists. In the name of wonderful, marvelous "diversity," we are ordered to cheerfully accept the lower property values, the crime, the ruined schools, and all the rest of it, and we'd better LIKE it, too!

What can we do? I feel so helpless. I feel like there's nothing we can do about this, nothing that will stop this invasion, nowhere to go to escape it anymore. The superwealthy can escape to gated communities with private schools and private security patrols. What about the rest of us? The politicians won't listen. And those who are removed from the problem don't care because it isn't happening to them...yet.

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