melpw, I can tell you I met many Mexicans and other Latin Americans that had been in the US for less than 6 years and felt they were American citizens, even if they had not legal status.
They believed in the American system of values, spoke very little Spanish only with their parents, and did not want to be called by the name of their country. When they were asked about their origin, they usually named the county they lived in, city or state. But they never named their original country, unless they were asked directly.
They had learned very good English, had adapted very soon into American mainstream society, and followed the American culture.

This is very good for immigrants that want to succeed in a new country. I am sure had these students legal status, they could be role models in society. The problem here is that they were not legal, and could do very little with their skills.

In the 6 years I lived in the US, I was adapting very easily into American society. I learned English quickly, worked very hard to save money to pay for my education, and obtained good grades in college. I was becoming an American citizen in my mind because I was practicing the traditional values of hard work and getting an education.

You would agree that these kinds of values are mere American, right? The problem was that no matter how much Americanized I was becoming, I was still not legal. And legality in the US comes first when searching for a job or applying for financial aid. You know that. And no matter how much I loved the country for its order, progress, and opportunities, things were not going to change.

I understood from many Republican and Democrat politicians that being American or Mexican is about the degree of civility you had. This means being legal, paying your taxes, having a decent job, vote for your representatives, and participate actively in the betterment of your society without any fears or prosecution behind you.

So, I took those good values with me, thought about the way of getting what I was missing, and returned to a country in which I could work towards that goal. That simple.

In the case of many people that have lived most of their lives in the US, they can adapt and progress in Mexico in the same way their parents and them adapted into American society. Mexico is not another planet, it is a country where they can do what they have been denied to do because of their illegality. They have learned the values of hard work and discipline. They may save money in the US and start out in Mexico.

Remember, we as humans have the capacity to overcome obstacles and adapt to new circumstances. We have to solve the problem of illegality and coming to Mexico is an option to solve it. It is not the option most people would want, but it is real and possible. My message is not flawed, it shows an option and a way out for many undocumented Mexican students. Even if they dont feel their 'Mexicanity' anymore, they have it in a legal paper. Just use it!