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Disadvantages Of Open Immigration

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Recommended: Mexican immigration at the turn of the century

The stature of the U.S. could not have been achieved without migrant labor. Throughout history, each incoming group of migrants has contributed to the construction of what is now a great nation. One of the groups that has maintained its position at the foundation of the U.S. economy is Mexican immigrants. Traditionally, a few Southwestern states have attracted Mexican immigrants, “this pattern of regional concentration is partly a matter of geography, of course, as the four states that border Mexico (California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas)” usually garner more settlements (Durand, 2000, p. 1). Prior to the 1920s, Mexican nationals enjoyed the benefits of open immigration which allowed them to come and go as they pleased. After this period, however, came restrictive policies that halted open immigration from Mexico. …show more content…

Over the course of two decades, the “U.S. government transported five million braceros from Mexico, providing growers and ranchers in twenty-four states with an endless army of cheap labor” (Bickerton, 2001, p. 2). Initially, the responsibility of facilitating labor migration fell on the U.S. government; however, this charge was passed on to the individual farmers in an amendment to the program from 1948 to 1951. The social experiences of this population of workers varied from the national to the local level. Migrants consistently received poor treatment and some states, where mistreatment was overt, were blacklisted from receiving Mexican laborers. This paper will analyze the history of Mexican labor migration in the U.S. with an explicit focus on the era of the Bracero Program, including a timeline of its various phases, understanding of their general labor participation, and social and political experiences. Moreover, it will provide insight into the impact the program had on their family structure back

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Huntington’s article is an example of how the inequity and racisms in the history of the border that Hernandez discussed has been carried out and resulted in immigrant bashing and ethnic prejudice being mainstreamed. Huntington’s article is composed of six factors of concern: contiguity, scale, illegality, regional concentration, persistence, and historical presence. When looked at carefully and analyzed, Huntington’s article is nothing more than hate disguised as academic media. Huntington refers to and talks about these immigrants as the main “suspects” of illegal immigration and the cause of many issues in the U.S. Huntington holds a Anglo perspective on the issue of immigration, the same perspective and ideas that the border patrol officers of the past had, explained by Hernandez in her book. Huntington states, “ Anglo protestant values built the American dream” (Huntington).

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Adding to the difficulties faced by braceros who attempted to engage in the program and come to work in the U.S. legally, there was the problem of illegal immigration and the fact that the INS, at least tacitly, encouraged Mexicans to illegally cross the border into the U.S. Illegal workers were often “legalized” if they happened to be detained by the border patrol, especially if it was during a peak season for American farmers. (cite, 140) At some points during the program, depending on the state in question, the number of illegal workers actually outnumbered legal braceros. (cite, 141) This certainly served to make the plight of the braceros an even more unsavory one. As Mexicans flooded across the border in ever-increasing numbers, the advantage

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