History of Mexican Farmworkers in the U.S

Undocumented immigrants face some of the most disadvantages when living in the United States. Many people come to the United States for work and to make a life here. Since the early 1900s, people from Mexico have come here to work with the expectation that they will be provided with homes and work. The Bracero Program started in 1942 and ended in 1964 and was an alliance between the U.S. and Mexico to help the United States with agricultural production during World War II, help improve societal structures in both countries, and allow Mexican Men into the U.S. with a work visa essentially, Loza (2016). This was the beginning of Mexican immigrant farmwork. Once that ended, many years later when Bush was in office, a new program was created because agricultural jobs were not being taken by U.S. citizens so Bush used this as a way to get people from Mexico to come and work, this was the “temporary worker program” (Loza 6). This heavily targeted Mexicans who were trying to escape societal and environmental factors such as “poverty, disasters, political oppression, or extreme violence,” (Nuño, et. al, 406). People often get work or school visas that they can renew after a few years and later apply for citizenship. Some people, however, are not able to apply for any visa, but many people still come to the United States to live as undocumented citizens. Being an undocumented citizen comes with many challenges. Undocumented Mexican immigrants, for example, receive lower wages for more arduous jobs which has been seen to have a great effect on their physical health (Hamilton, 3). This pairs with the constant discrimination they face from their employers who are deciding their pay and how many hours a day they work. This is just what they face once they are settled in the United States. During the journey, there is the stress of being caught, figuring out where you are going, and how long it will take. 60% of women and girls experience sexual abuse at one time between crossing the border, (Nuño, et al. 406). This is not easy but for many, it may constitute a better life in some ways. Although it may be better for some immigrants, it is still not as good as what they could be offered in the U.S. as there is healthcare they are not able to access, money they hardly receive, and racial stereotypes that are constantly following them. Today, immigrants have to worry about the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who will come and deport individuals and families without hardly asking questions.