Can the U.S. and Mexico rescind treaty and move border north?

Question

Since illegal immigrants to the U.S. are most common in Southwestern states that were once part of Mexico (and Florida, which was once part of Spain), could we simply rescind the treaty(ies) that made those places part of the U.S. and return them to Mexico (etc.), thereby making the Mexican persons in those places into "persons in their own country" and the U.S. citizens in those places into "aliens"?

The Gig is Up: I am proposing to return the Southwest to Mexico and part of Florida to Spain, not to return Florida to Mexico.

margrete o: I am currently living in California

joevette: If you prefer, we could ask for a refund of what we paid, rather than giving the places away.

Answer 1

Congress and the President, together, do have the power to make and ratify treaties with foreign powers, which could include ceding territory of one sort or the other. For instance, Carter notoriously gave away the Panama Canal.

I think giving away whole states would violate the Constitution, though.

Answer 2

Mexico lost the southwest during the Mexican-American war in 1848. Later the US. gave Mexico 15 million in compensation for that land. In 1853 Mexico sold the rest of the southwest to the U.S. in a deal known as the Gadsden Purchase for 10 million. So why should this country give back land that Mexico gave up in the first place?

Answer 3

Mexico has strict laws concerning illegal immigration. They do not tolerate it and their standards for LEGAL immigration include a requirement to speak Spanish. On the other hand, I doubt that Mexico's police could handle that number of illegal immigrants over a short time. They would have to take action such as placing military units on their border with orders to kill illegal immigrants attempting to cross. Added:: shaybani_yusuf: Did you know that in Mexico the language is Spanish? Why do you think that is? Have you ever heard of the Aztec's? Have you ever heard of Hernando Cortez. At least the Europeans who settled the United States left some of the natives alive. Study a bit of history before you make sweeping pronouncements please.

Answer 4

Just hold on until another 3-million or more illegal immigrants enter the US. They're already being treated like legal citizens in many places so the next step is to give them the right to vote. Then they can get their own presidential candidate elected and fill Congress with their hand-picked senators and representatives. The rest is easy, and by the next century the United States will be known as Baja Mexico II

Answer 5

Legally yes-if Congress approved.
Have you heard about the other solution?
Compensate land owners on the border and create a 3mile wide "dead zone " like the Korean DMZ.
Anything moving in the zone is killed. The environmentalists have already acknowledged that animal species (coyotes,snakes, rabbits etc)will learn to avoid the area especially since the ground will be salted and covered with debris and glass.
To many,the loss of 3 miles is no big deal if it stops illegals

Answer 6

Both Flordia and the southwest were bought and paid for by the US why would we give them away? Land has changed hands in every country, sould all of it just be handed over to the rightfull owner and if so who decides what owner that would be.

Answer 7

first off that would NEVER happen.
if it did there wouldn't be one politician left standing. not one. and let's face it they love their jobs too much.

as it stands now the politicians are falling all over themselves because they know illegal immigration is such a hot topic for the coming elections. they are all sh!thing in their little political panties trying not to loose their jobs because the citizens that voted them in will turn around and vote them out!!! hard to be happy about loosing your job because you wanted to play nice with a bunch of illegal aliens when your constituents say don't!!!

Answer 8

it would make no sense to return the southwest to Mexico for free.

You asking what would happens if either side break the Peace treaty!

Answer 9

As long as Mexico pays us back for the land we bought first and then fought to protect. So, along with the money, we would also want the soldiers who died fighting for it back, alive. So, I don't think its gonna happen.

Answer 10

Um, no. Are you giving away states you don't live in?

I like the dead zone idea, as long as it would really work.