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Notes -
The Americans failed to take [the two major colonies that would later form] Canada in the war of 1812.
Granted, that territory is actually really defensible given there's no land border within 2000 miles that grants access to any major city (and invading through the wilderness of what is now Western Ontario would have been so incredibly difficult that it might as well have been impassable). Your supply chain can't happen unless you pull a China and construct so many ferries across the water that the enemy can't sink them all- an invasion of those colonies would have had to be reinforced by sea, and convoys would have a long journey ahead of them given they have to transit all the way around Nova Scotia into the St. Lawrence.
Mexico (and importantly, the southern US) is different- yeah, the terrain might take a while to traverse, but it is ultimately still able to be traversed (even in the winter). Its strategic position would thus be a lot more perilous (and that attempt to shore it up- what you can defend and what you can't- is why the borders look the way they do. The Texan border with Mexico is not the Big River for no reason).
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