al inequality.
A look at early factors influencing immigration will prove useful in establishing the scene for current controversy surrounding the issue of illegals. The Mexican has traditionally passed freely across the Mexican-U.S. border. As Romo points out, "Mexico is unique among most countries of the world in that the vast majority of its migrant population . . . has always emigrated to the United States" (p. 30). Mexicans saw, and still see--to a large extent, no border between the U.S. and Mexico. The land stretches out in the same manner as it did before the Mexican-American War gave the U.S. "half of its southern neighbor's territory" (p. 31). For many Mexicans they are just beginning a "reconquest" of land which was formerly theirs.
The biggest factor influencing immigration to the U.S. was the threat of conscription during the period of 1910-1920, according to Romo (p. 42). In addition, the Mexican government's prom
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