Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Letter to the editor:

Historically, we are the invaders

With all the talk about an “invasion” of Mexicans, I am surprised that no one has pointed out the history, or the irony.

The northern region of Mexico originally included what we now call California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Mexicans allowed Americans to settle in their territory, and Americans brought their slaves with them to Texas. However, slavery was against Mexicanlaw. That was one of the reasons for the War of Texas Independence. Mexico lost the war and Texas became an independent nation.

A few years later, the expansionist-minded administration of the United States started the Mexican-American War. President James K. Polk believed the U.S. had a “manifest destiny” to spread to the Pacific Ocean. When all was said and done, Mexico lost about a third of its territory, including nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.

So, who invaded who?