[Don]

Earlier this year I met some South American people visiting the US for a wedding of family members (legally migrated here in the 1950's). These were South American nationals from Argentina who were business/professional people very well traveled, well educated. They'd last visited the US last in the early 1980's.

They spent some time here visiting family members and seeing the "sights", well...what's left of the "sights."

They were stunned and dismayed by the Mexican takeover of Southern California. In Latin America Mexicans are widely regarded as the bottom of the barrel, culturally, politically, economically. Mexico is exceptionally corrupt, highly stratified as between its Indian population and its ruling classes. I'd heard this before, but never really appreciated it.

Bottom line is these people said they see more Americans on the streets in major South American cities than in Los Angeles. L.A. is the second largest city in America, but has almost no Americans, at least none that are visible to tourists. They said Southern California is displaying all of the ugliest most backward aspects of Mexico without any of the good things of that country, to the extent that there are any good things about Mexico.

American family members descended from the South American elders who migrated here in the 1950's were talking about migrating to Argentina because it's safer there and politically more stable. How about that? You have to migrate to Latin America to get away from Mexicans?

Seriously. These were well educated, well traveled people who live outside the controlled media bubble that has mezmerized most American people. They are much broader in their perspective than rank and file Americans who seldom travel outside the US. They understood how our own government is sponsoring this invasion and found it "disturbing" because America is still very influential in Latin America. If Mexican invaders acquire influence in the US Government, they fear that influence will be used against the other Latin American countries. We sometimes think of Latin America as monolithic in its resentment of US "Imperialism", but this apparently is not universally true. (I got an ear full history about border wars and long time festering national rivalries in So. America, especially between Peru and Chile. When you study the centuries of wars and conflicts between Latin American countries it gives a useful historic perspective to all the accusations about "American imperialism." )

It was interesting to hear the Latin American perspective on illegal immigration from Mexico into the US.