The Mexican Repatriation Program
That darn history!
"...The Mexican Repatriation of 1929-1944 was different, not only in its size but in the number of American citizens who were sent to Mexico. It is estimated that approximately 60 percent of those deported were legal American citizens of Mexican descent. The program was first started under the Hoover administration as a means to get rid of illegal immigrants and open up jobs for "real" Americans suffering during the Depression. It was based in large part on racism and the prejudice against those who did not speak English and who looked different. However, most of those rounded up and deported were not given a hearing. And those who could prove citizenship or legal work papers often found their papers suspected as forgeries and torn up, sending the individuals back to Mexico."
Even though "that darn history" tells us on a regular basis what NOT to do, people have a way of ignoring it completely.
ReplyDeleteYes, and this part of our history may have been more cruel than our treatment of the Americans with Japanese ancestry. At least we housed and fed them after stealing their property. These people we simply kicked out...after taking their possessions, of course.
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