Are the wild horses of the American west native?

"THE wild horses of the American west should be considered a native species as fully deserving of protection as elk or antelope, even though they are the descendants of domestic livestock introduced by European settlers. Or so claim animal rights groups."

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028174.300-are-the-wild-horses-of-the-american-west-native.html

Comment: "If all humans living in the American west cannot prove they are 'native' to the land, then they are a nuisance that needs to be dealt with severely. Why is it that EVERY OTHER species must prove its indigenous nature in order to gain some ground for survival while human numbers are exploding everywhere, migrating worldwide, usurping space from indigenous species?"