It suddenly occurred to me that many problems at our southern border with Mexico might be solved at once if we would return Texas to Mexico. We took Texas (and much else) in the way Israel has been taking Palestinian territory. We sent in colonists, these colonists were militants who broke off from Mexico, started their own Republic, and then sought and obtained admission to the United States in 1845. But Texas remained a part of the United States only until 1861 when it seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America.

So Texas’ membership in the United States has been irregular and intermittent. Moreover, many Texans insist that Texas has a special culture of its own, one distinct from the culture of the rest of the U.S and superior to it. Texans have frequently threatened to re-secede in the last two decades, thus manifesting their discomfort with the Union. 

So why not return Texas to Mexico? I imagine the Mexicans would be glad to have Texas again, with its vast spaces and wealth. Texas would be a vast filter through which migrants headed for the U.S. would have to pass or where they might make their homes.