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Califonia Gold Rush
Mexicans arrived in California to collect from the Gold Rush. This upset many Americans and led to violent assaults on the foreigners.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldrush/peopleevents/p_mexicans.html -
Immigration Begins
New mining and agricultural industries sprout up in America, attracting Mexican migrant workers. -
1891 Immigration Act
This law stated that some people were unfit to become Americans. It enabled deportation and inspection over immigrants and in return caused riots and discrimination. -
World War One
When WW1 started, many Americans were sent to fight, leaving behind their jobs. Because of the shortage of labor, Mexicans were actually encouraged to immigrate to the United States and begin working to replace the laborers sent into the army. -
Mexican Revolution Outcomes
After the Mexican Revolution, many Mexican citizens moved to the United States in search of employment. The number of legal migrants in the United States rose dramatically. -
Immigration Act of 1924
The Immigration Act of 1924 limited the amount of immigrants allowed into the United States. Mexican workers were exempt from this because they were needed to work agriculturally in the United States. Mexicans were also seen as temporary migrants, so they were not included in these quotas. Immigration border patrol was set up to combat smuggling and illegal immigration. -
Cristero War
This war was in Mexico over the strong restrictions placed on the Catholic church which many citizens belonged to. Because of this, many people fled to America and began protesting the Mexican government in America. -
The Great Depression
When the depression hit, many industries closed their doors, sending home many migrant workers. Many rural workers went back to Mexico and many others were deported. -
Bracero Program
The Bracero Program was a guest worker program which encouraged millions of Mexican Immigrants to come work temporarily in the United States. -
Border Control
Almost 300,000 illegal immigrants were seized by border control. -
Bracero Program is Resurected
The Bracero Program was brought back to help with the agricultural shortage caused by the Koren War. Because of this, a quarter of the United States agricultural labor force were Mexican migrant workers. -
Operation Wetback
After WW2, Operation Wetback was enacted to deport illegal immigrants. This program was very racist and consisted of detaining and deporting anyone who appeared to be Mexican. Although it is morally incorrect, this program deported a large amount of immigrants, but proved unsuccessful when in the end there was an increase in migrant labor. -
Immigration and Nationality Act
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, enacted in 1968, repealed the quotas on immigration and ended the Bracero program. -
The Immigration Reform and Control Act
This act required businesses to ensure they were hiring legal immigrants. It also legalized specific seasonal immigrants and any illegal immigrant who began living in the United States before January 1, 1982. -
Secure Fence Act of 2006
The Secure Fence Act of 2006 allowed border patrol to largely increase their efforts. This granted them the use of advanced technology to protect the Mexican/United States border.
