Mexican Immigration Research Paper

Large waves of Latinos have been immigrating to the United States for about a century. They have caused Americans to create policies throughout the years aimed at controlling and limiting migration. America’s Xenophobic values have caused questions of who is or isn’t a true American.
The First major Latino immigration wave in the United States happened during the Mexican revolution. The Mexican revolution created violence and caused the economy of Mexico to dwindle. “In total two thousand Mexicans fled to the United States between 1910-1920” (Hing, 2010, p. 31). This was due to the American southwest expanding industries with high demand including agriculture, mining, and railroad construction. Due to racist policies such as the Chinese exclusion
Roosevelt launched the Bracero program “permitting seasonal Mexican workers to legally work in the United States and guaranteeing the immigrant labor force certain quality controls” (Hing, 2010, p 36). Laborers were given minimum wage, housing, transportation to and from Mexico, and basic human rights. The program ended in in 1947, but was put back in affect in 1951 without the same quality controls. When the bracero program resumed workers recruited after 1951on faced horrible conditions and treatment. Many Mexicans immigrated illegally during the program as well. Due to the rise in immigration the U.S. launched “Operation Wetback” which involved inhumanely deporting hundreds of thousands of Mexicans. The Bracero program ended in 1964 and the immigration and nationality act of 1965 ended immigration quotas based on country of origin helping people from Latin America
Further prevention of immigration includes the patriot act of 2001, which authorized indefinite detention of immigrants and tripled border control. Another example includes Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. Some elements of this act include preventing aid to illegal immigrants, made less serious crimes such as DUI enough for deportation and ending the catch and release program. Mega Marches in 2006 happened because of the Immigration Control Act of 2005. The Secure Fence of 2006 also was done to further enforce border security. One win for immigrants however was the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act of 2012 preventing deportations for people who “came to America before 16, under the age of 31 as of June 15 2012, currently in school, graduated from HS, or discharged member of the armed forces and not been convicted of a felony or significant