dear du, do you know what i am afraid of, hot the illigeals but

[sop]

5. "Different" because there are significantly more residents of hispanic ancestry in the Southwestern states.

I lived in New Mexico, the most Hispanic state in the United States, with 49% of its population identifying as Hispanic. The state's Hispanic population is very diverse, many are descendants of the original Spanish settlers, and many are of Mexican ancestry who have been living in (what is now) New Mexico for centuries, becoming US citizens when the territory became a state in 1912. Texas, Arizona and California share similar demographics.

I always had to laugh whenever recent arrivals to New Mexico from other states - retirees from Ohio, Virginia or Pennsylvania who had only been in the 'Land of Enchantment' for three or four years - would complain about the large number of "Mexicans" in the state, often saying "they should go back across the border where they came from." I would point out many of the "Mexicans" they were talking about had been living on the land for hundreds of years, and they didn't cross the border, the border crossed them.