Fluctuating Immigration Policy And The Economy
During the various decades of 1920 to 1960, immigration policy toward Mexicans was influenced by America’s economic status at each decade. During this period there was much fluctuation in attitudes and policies toward immigration. America saw immigration policy go from an almost invisible border in the 1920’s to massive military-like roundups of immigrants in the 1950’s. During the 1920’s while the Immigration act of 1924 was all but halting European and Asian immigration, thousands of Mexicans were allowed to cross the border without any trouble from the new anti-immigration legislation so that Mexicans could work seasonally in the fields. When Depression hit in the thirties, anti-Mexican sentiments ran high and the Federal Government helped where it could to rid the country of Mexicans.”(Cardoso 46). With the involvement of the United States in World War II, the demand for manpower in agriculture and war production industries increased immensely. Therefore, hundreds of thousands of Mexicans were given the opportunity not only to work but to work in higher-paying occupations as well. After World War II the American public became aware of the numbers of Mexicans crossing the border and again supported measures to stifle immigration. “Operation Wetback” which was a campaign to deport masses of Mexicans back into the interior of Mexico took effect during the postwar period.
In 1924 the Federal Government sought to put a strangle hold on immigration and this was accomplished by passing the Immigration Act of 1924. This act put many Jim Crow-like restrictions on immigrants like literacy tests, and physical exams. The act also barred those who were more than half Indian to enter the United States. This piece of legislation was a result of a high sense of nativism in America at this time period. Although the majority of the public supported these restrictionist measures, they were not applied to Mexican immigrants. If the Immigration Act of 1924 was applied to Mexicans, there would have been practically no Mexicans allowed into the United States due to fact that the vast majority of Mexicans are of the “Mestizo” type, that is half Indian and half Spanish. Why then, would a measure like this be passed but not implemented on the Southern border? The answer is quite simple; farmers and factory owners relied heavily on Mexican workers for their respective businesses and politicians also sided with pro-immigration groups regarding the new legislation but due to diplomatic reasons.
During the 1920’s, employers of Mexican workers pleaded for an open-door policy due to the fact that Mexican labor was responsible for much productivity in Southwestern agriculture. Businesses that relied on Mexicans also put up much effort to promote a favorable image of Mexican immigrants by arguing that Mexicans were docile and of no threat to the American way of life (Cardoso 124). Railroads also claimed that they would be forced to shut down if they did not have Mexican workers. In another instance the Arizona Cotton Growers Association asked for the Government’s assistance in acquiring Mexican laborers because they argued that without them, cotton production would falter. The Federal Government agreed and allowed the association to send a recruiter to Mexico and the cotton growers even volunteered to pay the head tax of $8.00(Cardoso 130).
Even politicians sought to gain much out of not enforcing the Immigration Act of 1924 on Mexicans. Republicans led by Herbert Hoover were looking at the larger picture when deciding not to apply the laws on Mexicans. This larger picture was expanding trade and other economic relations with all of Latin America by using an open-door policy as an example of goodwill. As the twenties came to a close, so did the open door at the border as recession drew near.
The Great Depression brought much hardship to Mexicans as well as Americans. Eventhough Mexicans were also hard hit by the depression, they still “…seemed to bear the brunt of Americans’ resentment about the economic catastrophe.”(Gutierrez 73). As unemployment numbers continued to climb, the Government took action to rid America of Mexican immigrants. During this time period both the public and the Government were in favor of repatriation. In addition to the repatriation campaigns, employers were laying off Mexican workers in order to
