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The Ethnonym Mexican American is the usual term of self description for people with strong ties to both the United States Of America and Mexico . It describes both United States citizens of Mexican ancestry (14 million in 2003) and Mexican citizens who reside in the United States (10 million in 2003). According to the Pew Hispanic Center , in mid-2001, an additional 4.5 million Mexicans were residing illegally in the United States. Mexican Americans account for 64% of the Hispanic or Latino population of the United States . Settlement concentration is mostly in the Southwestern part of the United States , however, there are isolated concentration of Mexican-Americans near the Chicago area and in mostly Rural areas in Florida and North Carolina . Growing populations also are present in other parts of the rural Southeastern United States , in states such as Georgia , Tennessee , Alabama and Arkansas in addition to the Upper Midwest . A growing population also is present in urban areas such as New York City . However, Mexican American citizens reside throughout the entire US. ECONOMIC ISSUES The Economy Of The United States has long needed Service Workers , Manufacturing Workers , Farm Laborers , and skilled Artisans . Mexican workers have usually met those demands for cheap labor. However, fear of detection and Deportation keep many Illegal Immigrant workers from taking advantage of Social Welfare programs as well as interaction with public authorities and makes them highly vulnerable to exploitation by employers. Some employers, however, over the last decade, have developed a "don't ask, don't tell" attitude, indicating a greater comfort or casual approach toward hiring ethnic Mexican residents. In U.S. states where Mexican Americans make up a significant percentage of the population, such as California and Texas , Mexican Americans almost exclusively occupy most Blue-collar occupations, such as restaurant workers, janitors, truck drivers, gardeners, construction laborers, material moving workers, and other manual labor. In many of these places with large Latino populations, blue-collar workers are often assumed to be Mexican Americans because of their dominance in those occupations. Occasionally, tensions have risen between Mexican immigrants and other ethnic groups because of increasing concerns over the availability of working-class jobs to non-Hispanic ethnic groups. However, tensions have also risen among Mexican American laborers who have been displaced as a result of both cheap Mexican labor and racial profiling. Social mobility While Mexican Americans do make up a lot of the lower rungs of the social ladder, it is very easy to see their diaspora into other areas in the socioeconomic spheres. Mexican American Politicians are one of the first places that you can identify this. Attaining an education is deemed the only way to get into these higher positions. Any where from being a teacher to being a CEO. POLITICAL ISSUES The turnout among Mexican Americans is low (less than 40% vote). Of those who vote, large majorities vote for Democratic candidates in most states except Texas (where the Democrats win narrowly). In the 2004 presidential election, in the western states, exit polls showed that "Latinos" (nearly all Mexican Americans) comprised 13% of all voters. They split 39% for Bush and 58% for Kerry. In California alone they comprised 21% of the voters and split 32% for Bush and 63% for Kerry. However in Texas where the Republicans made a strong appeal, they comprised 20% of the voters and split 49% for Bush and 51% for Kerry. Senator Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo , elected in New Mexico in 1928, was the first Hispanic to be elected to the United States Senate; Ken Salazar , Democrat of Colorado in 2004 became the first in recent decades. Both men came from old Hispanic families and neither was a product of the 20th century immigration. Traditional Mexican communities take conservative positions on social issues such as Abortion and Homosexuality , and show strong loyalties to the traditional version of the Roman Catholic Church, though there is a growing evangelical Protestant group. Under George W. Bush the Republican Party is trying to make inroads with Mexican American voters, but a strong nativist undercurrent in the GOP is making Bush's efforts controversial in his party. The LULAC is an important political organization for Mexican Americans, though it also represents other Hispanic Americans as well. CULTURE The proximity of the two countries, a continuous influx of new arrivals, concentration in predominantly Mexican Barrios and Colonias and Spanish -language media enable Mexican immigrants to maintain ties with relatives in Mexico and the Spanish language to a degree not possible for other immigrant groups with their respective countries of origin and Native Tongues . While there are subtle differences in the Spanish language depending on the country of origin, the Spanish language binds many Latin American immigrants together. Music Tejano Music is a unique musical style developed by Mexican Americans in Texas . Tejano is a blend of traditional Mexican forms such as the Corrido and Continental Europe an styles introduced by German and Czech settlers with modern forms of rock, jazz, and classical.
Theater, film, and television George Lopez , Victoria Wyndham , Eva Longoria , Jessica Alba , Charisma Carpenter , Edward James Olmos , Salma Hayek , Ricardo Montalban , Jay Hernandez , Alexis Bledel , Sara Paxton , Linda Carter , Joanna Kerns , and Anthony Quinn are a few of the many actors in the United States with Mexican heritage. Dan Banda is the producer of an award-winning documentary, After the Immigrant . Visual art Chicano Art, is noted for the folk influences from Mexico, characterized by vibrant colors and striking imagery. Artist John August Swanson is a painter whose art reflects these influences. Cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz 's work reflects the Chicano consciousness and expresses it in his editorial cartoons. Painter Gilbert "Mag" Lujan paints murals and cars depicting whimsical scenes from urban Latino life. Surrealist painter Gronk is a well known artist and illustrator, and was a member of the pioneering performance art troup Asco in the 1960s-1970 Literature There is a depth of literature in this community. Authors like Tomás Rivera exemplify the field. Author and poet Gary Soto 's published works are frequently studied in American Public Schools . HISTORY Main article: History Of Mexican-Americans Between 1845 and 1854, the United States acquired half of the territory of Mexico. Eighty thousand Mexicans lived in these Annexed areas at the time. These new Mexican Americans often worked as railroad crew, general laborers, ranch hands, farm workers, Farmer s, Domestic Servants and Laundresses . During the Great Depression , the Repatriation Movement caused much hardship for Mexican Americans. After World War II ended, the Bracero Program was soon introduced. This program made it easier for Mexicans to come to the United States, but it often lead them to be exploited by their employers. César Chávez lobbied to end the Bracero Program. Later he helped found the United Farm Workers movement. According to s who entered the country. During the 1990s, approximately five million Mexicans immigrated to the United States. In 2000, Mexican immigration is estimated to have been 350,000 and the most recent estimate (2004) is 500,000 per year. MEXICAN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOODS Neighborhoods in many cities across America have developed significant and/or growing Mexican American populations. A few of these neighborhoods are:
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