THE FLAG of the United Mexican States (Shutterstock).

El Tri is the nickname for the three-colored flag – red, white and green, with the image of the eagle killing the snake in the middle – is the banner of Mexico.
We have seen a bit of that in recent demonstrations not only in Los Angeles but also in Garden Grove, about the present administration’s plans to roll back unlawful immigration.

Setting aside – for a moment – issues of practicality, humanitarian concerns and traffic control – I was reflecting on video images of the protests at Chapman Avenue and Brookhurst Street.

Some of the demonstrators waved El Tri with gusto, as if it were a futbol contest. OK, so you have pride in the nation from which you – or perhaps your parents – immigrated. Nothing wrong with that.

But it implies a contradiction. The place I left was so great that I fled at great hazard and broke the law to get here and now I don’t want to go back.

Hmmm…. Well, I’m not sure waving the flag of Mexico is the textbook way to convince Americans that illegal entry into United States is something to be accepted and to be appreciated.

One argument you used to hear from some Hispanic activists was in the chant, “We didn’t cross the border/The border crossed us.”

OK, not exactly historically accurate unless you were born before 1846 (start of the Mexican-American War). And as long as we’re looking at history, let’s looks at the “chain of possession” of the land in question …

Historians tell us that the first migrants into what is now North America came across the Bering Strait land bridge (that existed many years ago) and moved slowly south into what is now California, Arizona, New Mexico and etc.

The tribes that developed fought each other for territory. After several centuries, the Spanish arrived and were able to defeat the Aztecs only because rival tribes hated the Aztecs for taking their land and helped the invader.

Next, the Mexicans took the land from the Spanish and a few centuries late, the French –briefly – seized Mexico. The French were expelled with the help of Uncle Sam.

The point of all of this is that nobody’s hands are clean in the human narrative. Focusing on the old days isn’t as important as making the case for becoming – immigration reform – contributing Americans now and not just by waving El Tri, no matter how beloved.