Some Mexican Americans welcomed the immigrants as brothers and sisters, but many were displeased.
Descendants of the original settlers of California, New Mexico, or Texas were proud of their heritage, just like a northerner who can trace his lineage to the Mayflower. Some prosperous old-timers had only disdain for poor and uneducated newcomers. Others feared increased job competition.
Not all the newcomers were poor laborers. Some of the people fleeing the Mexican Revolution were members of the middle and upper classes. Because of money, education, and influence, they were generally able to establish a comfortable life in the United States.
The parents of U.S. congressman Henry B. Gonzalez were middle-class people who fled the Mexican Revolution.
A Democrat from Texas, Gonzalez formerly chaired the House Banking Committee.
