1. Immigration History Mexicans

2. Immigration Controversies “It is not better for America to do nothing about an immigration system that hurts families, hampers businesses, and harms communities.” Rep. Luis Gutierrez A Los Angeles immigrant rally in 2006 “Our immigration system is a broken system that needs to be fixed. We need reform that provides hardworking people of good character with a real path towards citizenship.” Rep. Joe Baca

3. Push and Pull Factors Push factors – forces or events that induce or “push” immigrants to leave their countries Pull factors – forces or events that attract or “pull” immigrants into a particular country

4. Mexican Immigration 58% of total Latino population (2000 Census) Over 24 million as per 2000 Census About 14 million U.S. born About 10 million born in Mexico About half are naturalized About half are unauthorized immigrants Continued Growth – 200,000 per year in the 1980s – 300,000 per year in the 1990s – 450,000 per year in the 2000s (one high estimate)

5. Push and Pull Factors for Mexican Immigration Key factors that have persisted historically: – Employer recruitment – Immigration policies Push Factors 1870s-early 1900s – Introduction of outwardly-oriented economic model – Foreign Capital Penetration – Opening of Mexico to international investors & markets – Dislocation for peasants – Deepening poverty & socio-economic inequality – Mexican Revolution explodes (violence) – Violence and political/economic instability

6. Push Factors (Continued) - 1980s to Present Return to outwardly oriented-economic model International and domestic alliance to revert to Neo-liberal economic model US and multilateral financial institutions pressure Mexico 1976 and 1982 economic/financial crisis after long-term period of the “Mexican Miracle” of 6% annual economic growth NAFTA is at the core of the new economic model and represents a social dislocation factor

7. Pull Factors - Late 1800’s – Post Civil War U.S. industrial expansion generated new demands for the Southwest’s primary products – Mexican workers were coveted because were experienced in farming, ranching, and mining. – U.S. employers recruit Mexican workers – Mexicans went to work in agriculture and mining, and in the railroad

8. Pull factors (continued) - 1917-1921 – U.S. government seeks Mexican workers to remedy WWI labor shortages – U.S. enacted a contract-labor program for male Mexican workers – agriculture and non-agricultural sectors – Tens of thousands of Mexicans worked construction, railroads, & agriculture - By the 1920s Mexican workers were the backbone of agriculture, meat packing, brickyards, and canneries in many parts of the U.S. 1930’s – More than 458,000 Mexicans repatriated 1940’s – World War II - Severe labor shortages, heightened demand for manual labor

9. Pull factors (continued) (1940s-to the present) U.S. government seeks Mexican workers to remedy WWII and Korean War labor shortages U.S. negotiates the Bracero Program (1942-1964) with Mexican government Nearly 5 million temporary labor contracts issued to Mexican male workers Program plants the seeds for massive Mexican immigration – Left a permanent legacy in the form of continuing and intensifying migration Mexico-US

10. Public Law 45 (1942-1965) The “Bracero Program” More than 4 million Mexican workers Contracts controlled by independent farmers associations and the "Farm Bureau.“ Braceros required to turn in their permits and return to México upon expiration of contracts. Sugar beets, cucumbers and tomatoes, tree fruit, cotton

11. Braceros brought to the United States 1942 4,203 1953 201,380 1943 52,098 1954 309,033 1944 62,170 1955 398,650 1945 49,454 1956 445,197 1946 32,043 1957 436,049 1947 19,632 1958 432,857 1948 35,345 1959 437,643 1949 107,000 1960 315,846 1950 67,500 1961 291,420 1951 192,000 1962 194,978 1952 197,100 1963 186,865 (Bustamante 1975; Briggs 1974)

12. 1954-1955 Operation Wetback Mexicans deported: 1954: 1,075,168 1955: 242,608 Mexican Immigration has been Characterized by Fluctuations Peaks in periods of high-labor demand in the U.S. (contractual agreements) followed by lows during repatriation waves and “tougher controls”

13. Immigration policy Immigration policies have ensured, or not prevented a consistent flow of Mexican workers into the U.S. – 1965 Act Family reunification policies allow settled family members in US to have spouses and children join them and eventually to secure legal migrant status.

14. Immigration policies in 1980s and 1990s IRCA 1986 Amnesty program… 1990s restrictive policies – intentions of many migrants shift to a settler mentality – This intensifies with the hardening of immigration border controls since IRCA 1986 – By 1990s, circularity of Mexican migration dwindles, while permanent moves become more common Social networks are key in continued immigration

17. Source: http://www.lib.iastate.edu/commons/las211/pdfs/immigr.pdfhttp://www.lib.iastate.edu/commons/las211/pdfs/immigr.pdf Iowa State University