Between 1929 and 1936, a horrible process of Mexican Repatriation took place in the United States of America, making hundreds of thousands of Mexican people homeless, scared, jobless, and humiliated. At that time, local governments deported about 1.8 million people to Mexico (Wagner). According to Little, it happened because they “were supposedly using resources and working jobs that should go to white Americans affected by the Great Depression.” There are several groups that are to blame for this terrible process. The purpose of this paper is to prove all those groups’ guilt and explain why they are responsible for the deportation of Mexican and Mexican American immigrants.
It is possible to suggest that the Federal Government is the main to blame for the Mexican Repatriation. It has restricted immigration along racial lines and seized on fears and prejudices of white people to propose new laws that will deport more Mexicans and stop immigration. Instead of dealing with the economic crisis by preventing businesses from attacking labor unions, keeping wages low, and setting high prices, the government used harassment to drive out Mexican people who were in the US legally.
Another organization guilty of deportation is the American Federation of Labor. Its racist policies have divided and weakened the working class rather than keeping it strong and united. When the organization formed, its union was ready to admit almost everyone. However, in the 1930s, the American Federation of Labor got rid of African and Mexican Americans, most unskilled laborers, immigrants, and women and consisted only of white men. Hence, this organization has been pushing anti-immigrant messages and racist ideas to workers across the country.
The media is also to blame since, instead of helping to break the lies and discrimination, newspapers decided to whip up the prejudices and fears of the nation. The papers and magazines that are trusted and read all over the country supported the racist beliefs that Mexicans and Mexican Americans are alien to the US and cannot be accepted. Instead of exposing and denouncing the discrimination, the media created a cultural climate in which a number of white Americans believed that removing Mexican immigrants was necessary and justified.
Police and immigration agents also contributed to this horrible discrimination. They have been carrying out roundups and raids in communities of immigrants and Mexican Americans, tearing parents from their children, and arresting workers in fields and factories with no warrants. Moreover, instead of targeting only those who broke the law, immigration agents and their racist harassment have swept up hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Of course, the police had to obey and carry out orders. However, all government workers take an oath to uphold the Constitution, and the police and immigration agents broke that oath.
Business owners who benefit from the capitalist system and protect their own status and wealth without worrying about those who get hurt are also to blame for the deportation and the crisis. They were those who went to Mexico to find cheap labor and promised Mexican workers huge salaries, steady work, and good opportunities. Business owners have been attacking unions for decades and fighting against minimum wage and maximum hour laws. Since people did not get enough money, they had nothing to spend, and many businesses failed. This caused an increase in unemployment and fierce competition between workers, which made white people start hating immigrants.
If all the previously discussed groups are undoubtedly guilty, the last one, deportees, may be considered almost innocent. Of course, before coming to America, they knew about its bad conditions and crime levels and could understand that it was dangerous. However, all people have the right to search for a better life, which means good jobs and money. Also, after being discriminated against, threatened, and humiliated, it was rather hard for Mexican people to stay and fight for equal treatment. The deportees are victims, and this is why they are innocent.
Works Cited
Little, Becky. “The U.S. Deported a Million of Its Own Citizens to Mexico During the Great Depression.” History. 2019. Web.
Wagner, Alex. “America’s Forgotten History of Illegal Deportations.” The Atlantic. 2017. Web.