The Mexican Bracero Program

The Bracero Program completely changed the way American s viewed migrant Mexicans. Implemented in 1942, because of the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement between the United States and Mexico, the Bracero Program stood as a way for Mexicans to gain employment in the United States, typically through agricultural jobs. Those who participated were assured adequate living conditions and thirty cents per hour minimum wage. It allowed for the agricultural industry to grow substantially, as Mexicans worked for cheaper wages than their American counterparts. The laborers typically lived in small labor camps close to or on the properties they worked. Furthermore, the program stands as the most extensive foreign labor program in United States history. Working as a Bracero, however, proves to be far more strenuous and unforgiving than the government agreement made it seem. Living as a Bracero means not seeing one’s family for months
on end—to simply follow the harvest schedule and work alongside it. It means being treated as livestock, as many laborers found themselves herded from camp to camp. In Document five, Manuel Padilla recalls the harsh expectations put on him as a migrant worker. He was not even allowed the freedom to use the bathroom. One day, he felt fed up and thought to himself “I couldn’t go all day without going to the toilet,” but was later fired for partaking in a basic human need. This experience epitomizes the human rights violation felt by migrant workers, simply because of the culture of fear resting in American social ideology. Originally, Padilla joined the Bracero program as a way to work in a safer environment than in the silver mines. He played by the rules and routinely renewed his paper work when called to do so, and simply traveled across the border to Juarez to quickly regain his entry into the United States. However, the program became more and more popular as Mexicans sought higher paying jobs and better opportunities, thus resulting in an incredible influx of migrant Mexicans seeking employment in the United States. The program required migrant workers to renew their documents each hear, but Padilla recalls that one year, “there were many thousands of people who wanted to go to the United States.” “Lines would form during the night, because the workers wanted to be ready for the following morning.” He notes that people would line up for months on end just to gain the documents to enter the United States legally, so he decided to begin crossing illegally. Padilla continued to find employment, even after being continually caught by the immigration officials. Based upon the sheer number of people wishing to cross the border, one would not be far off to conclude that many migrant workers faced the same issues as Manuel Padilla.
Even though they had to continually evade arrest, many workers found themselves perfectly hirable in agricultural work, as the “big foreman” never really questioned their citizenship. The farming industry seems to only be concerned with getting the job done, so they obviously always hired workers, regardless of their status. Furthermore, many Mexican citizens saw America as a way to gain a better life for their families. In conclusion, the Bracero program offered, on paper, a dazzling opportunity for those living in Mexico. It allowed those who qualified to safely and legally cross the border in order to find decent employment, while also earning a decent living. However, the reality of the program reflects the United States’ harsh treatment and outlook on Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and immigrants in general, and helped contribute to the idea that Mexicans are “illegal
aliens.”