US Latinx Activism and Protests: From the Farm to the (Legislative) Table

Migration Throughout The Transportation Journey

During 1942 to 1964, Mexicans were allowed to legally enter the United States to obtain a better lifestyle and economic stability for their families once they returned home. Due to the fact that many civilians did not have job opportunities in their home land, they would decide to leave and come towards the United States since it was advertised by everyone. They would leave with just the necessary things, which would be placed in bags or small luggages. By it being the top and popular story, they would take upon the journey, but did not know how it would be. They would start off in Mexico and travel to the border of the United States through bus or truck, where they would wait in line to enter. Once they crossed, they would leave in trains or buses to their destination to work. Many of the times, it would take them seven days to arrive, but migrates would lose track of time being stuck in transportation. During their transportation, they would have no food resources nor private area to urinate. As seen in the image, buses just had uncomfortable seats and no bathroom in the back. The trains or buses they would travel in were not made to accommodate long journeys. As a result, this was just the beginning of their suffrage.  

Luggage

In the image, there is a note on each luggage that indicates the destination they are traveling to. The civilians are lined up to give their luggage or place their luggage on top of the bus. There are several luggages that are lined up to be placed on top. These luggages represent how they would carry their entire life in one or two bags. Majority of these people did not have any valuable items. The only thing they would carry were their clothes that they had and leave the items that could be replaced. People had to travel lightly since they could not carry their entire homes due to the fact that the transportation journey to first arrive in the United States had small room capacity. Moreover, space on buses was limited from and to their destination regards if they were just arriving or leaving back to their homeland. This is due to several people traveling to the same destination, which caused the labeling on the luggages useful to identify who it belonged to and the destination they were arriving at. Additionally, through these labels, it demonstrates the different destinations and how long the journey has been for the person, since the boxes would come from where they worked. 

Journey

With the migration transportation journey being an important factor of the testimonies and stories published, there is an increasing number of stories that we will uncover throughout. Each person had their own reason to leave, but no one thought about how hard the journey would be nor take. Although the journey never changes nor gets easier, immigrants continue to do it, since it is their only option to obtain a more secure financial income than in their home country. Additionally, families would migrate, since family friends would assure them they would obtain a better lifestyle. However, no one told them about the dangers and difficulties that they would suffer going through the entire journey. Firstly, it was not easy to cross the border once they arrived. Their first stop was waiting until they were given a contract and a destination, which could be given if they made the cut off, but they ran the risk of being split away from their traveling group. Consequently, the cut off caused contracts to differ with the length they were given, like it is seen with Cruz Leon Martinez where he had a longer time than his travel buddies due to crossing before them.  .    

In any case, the migration transportation journey is an important factor in the testimonies and stories published. There is an increasing number of stories that we will be uncovered throughout the years, which demonstrate how each person had their own reason to leave, but no one thought about how hard the journey would be nor take. Resultantly, the buses and trains were primarily known methods of transportations that immigrants would take in order to reach their work location. On an everyday basis, from their homes, they would be taken in the back of pickup trucks to their field works. Constantly, they were on the move through trucks to arrive towards their destination. Since the moment they left their native lands, they have had to be moving from one place to another in order to provide their family with better economic resources. As a result, workers would routinely experience the same routes and traveling in each entrance, but they could be sent to a different work location. With a hard journey, immigrants were eager to arrive towards their destinations at first to finally rest. However, their stay was located in camps reserved especially for immigrant workers, which had the worst living conditions. There were several people piled up in a room, which to them in the beginning it did not matter as long as they had a secure job. Thus, the living conditions were considered adequate for them, since farm owners treated them like animals. Therefore, if they were treated like animals, they would live like them too.

Sanitation

However, throughout the journey, the sanitation standards were low and were treated like animals. In these transportation vehicles, people would be in buses that could be compared to a school bus. These buses did not have bathrooms for the passengers to utilize throughout the long journeys. Instead, it would just be a place considered an isolated box on wheels that would torture them. They would be stuck in there for hours or days without a single opportunity to leave nor do their necessity without being left behind. The moment they step foot outside their transportation, they would lose it all. Additionally, the only stops that it would make were to allow immigrant workers to get off at their stop. Therefore, the conditions would get worse and worse the longer the civilians were in there. 

In addition, the conditions did not get better when they arrived at their destination. The living conditions in the camps were of poor living conditions to the point where the camps were in desperate need of renovation. The walls were starting to peel off and the discoloration process began. Moreover, there were hoses in the sink that could be from the outside, which would make them unsanitary for immigrants to even live in. These locations were not safe, nor were they livable, but immigrants had to make it work. Moreover, as seen in the image, the male workers at the beginning of their days would shave, but they did not have a proper mirror. Instead they had to use a small piece of glass of metal in order to see their reflection and have a proper shave. Consequently, the sanitation conditions progressively get worse with time and destination. 

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