The Bracero Program
On August 4, 1942 an executive order called the Mexican Farm Labor Program was put in place allowing Mexican men to work legally in the United States temporarily. This executive order was the start of what we now know as the Bracero Program and was an agreement between Mexico and the United States as a response to the labor shortage caused by WWII. While the program originally expected to only last the duration of the war it was not terminated until more than nineteen years after the end of WWII on December 1, 1964. The Bracero program was highly effective in getting over 4 million men to participate in it due to the economic status of Mexico and the limited work opportunities the country could offer. Those struggling economically saw this as an opportunity to help make ends meet and support themselves and/or their families. So they set out on a long journey to the United States unaware of the harsh awakening they would face.
When Braceros were recruited they were told that they would earn a minimum wage of 50 cents per hour along with other benefits such as insurance, safe and free housing, transportation to and from their place of origin and destination, and protection from discriminatory acts of any kind. However, little to none of those promises were kept as they ended up working long hours in terrible conditions earning little to no wages. While contracts were provided to the men looking to participate in the program many of the employers violated those contacts through unpaying and failing to provide them with the necessities required under contract.
Recruitment centers for the Bracero program ran throughout Mexico, many of them becoming overcrowded with the overwhelming amount of people wanting to work in the United States. It became difficult to obtain permits resulting in rules being broken and many bribing their way to the top of the list. Once selected they would say goodbye to their families and make their way to the United States traveling for days in crowded and unsanitary trains. Upon arriving in the United States they were taken to processing centers where they would be searched for contraband, stripped down, and sprayed down with extremely dangerous and now illegal chemicals such as kerosene, pesticides, DDT, and Zyklon B by the Department of Agriculture personnel.
Once the Braceros made it through the processing centers they were put back on trains and set off to their workplaces where they would work throughout the entirety of their contracts in unfit and unsanitary conditions. Many of the jobs that the Braceros were offered consisted of them working on land and railroads, both known to be very labor intensive. On the fields braceros would harvest crops, working long hours in the sun in uncomfortable positions while performing stoop labor. This type of labor resulted in many Braceros to suffer from back pain and many of the medical clinics would report back pain to be the most common ailment reported among the braceros.
After many years of abuse and modern day slavery the bracero program ended due to new advances in harvesting technology, economics, and politics. The braceros were returned home where many continued to endure the long lasting effects of the trauma that they underwent. To this day they have not gotten recognition for all the work that they put into keeping the United States functioning during or after the war so it is important we keep their history alive and help spread awareness on this part of history.