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Disadvantages Of Open Immigration

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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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