There have been two "Mass Deportations" of Mexicans and US citizens of Mexican descent that have happened before in the United States. You don’t know about it because this history isn’t taught.
Thank you and agreed! Please share on all your platforms. I’ll be doing more research on this as we near the policies being implemented. The more people know the more we can respond
I was born in 1955, probably right after Operation Wetback started and ended, from the sound of it, and this is the first I’ve heard of it. Absolutely shocking! Thank you for opening my eyes about this, Mike.
One of the problems I read about with regard to US citizens being swept up in prior mass deportations was that many children were born at home and, thus, didn't have birth certificates to prove they were natural born citizens under our Constitution. For that reason, many US citizens were never able to come back to their own country.
The things I find alarming about the coming mass deportations, aside from the fact of them - again! - is the Trump team talking about denaturalization, challenging birthright citizenship, and most cavalierly, saying the problem of family separation could be solved by deporting whole families which, naturally, would include US citizen spouses of undocumented immigrants. When these people start talking about denaturalization and challenging birthright citizenship, we KNOW they're talking about black and brown people. Trump started scapegoating Mexicans in his announcement to run in 2015, and fears of 'invasions' by 'caravans' from Central America have been pushed like clockwork every election cycle.
I'm sickened by the number of people whose hatred of immigrants outweighs their concern about the effect on our economy, let alone the violations of basic human rights that will occur.
A terrifying history. More people need to know this, but I fear that this next administration will do its best to suppress stories that end with good people speaking out.
I wrote a piece touching on this after the election. We don’t teach a lot of history but design. Partly because we still believe we are exceptional. We are not. And for those of us who know the history, also know why this is coming. You have written of the Latino century..,that scares a lot of whites. There, I said the quiet part aloud.
WOW-ZA. You're so right; I had no idea about so much of this, and I attended a top public high school in MA where my history teacher (thankfully) didn't shy away from so much of the ugly in our nation's history (the reason I know this is because I've been taught things I thought were common knowledge but have come across people from other parts of the country who were taught a more sanitized version). Thank you so much for doing what you do. I'm going to share this with my two girls still at home so they can know, too.
This part: "I view the repatriation as an ethnic cleansing that took place in the greater Southwest, including Los Angeles, in the Great Depression,” he said. “And it’s had significant impacts…. For generations, Mexican identities were kept, some might say, ‘in the closet.’ It was kept quiet.”
What's so interesting to me is that my (now-late) piano professor once mentioned how her dark eyes and features showed her part-Mexican heritage, "But that was the part of the family we didn't talk about." She was from LA. She stated this in a slightly joking tone, but she was also completely serious. As a White person who grew up in suburban New England, I just chalked up this statement to the racism experienced of the time. I had no idea about the history described above. Makes a whole lot more sense now.
The best history on how ethnic Mexican organizations responded to immigration during the 20th Century, both opposed to it and supporting immigrants, see David Gutierrez's Walla and Mirrors.
Enlightening. The reality is that as enlightening as it is, it will reach 0.01% of the population. Stories like these have to be almost sought out. The reader must want to know the ugly truth. They are never discovered by the unenlightened. Or covered by the media. There is a disheartening (dis)comfort with the ignorance and lack of knowledge flouted in this country. And it's only getting worse. Much, much worse.
As always, thank you Mike. This history lesson brings light to the reasoning behind all of my aunts and uncles (born in the 40s and 50s) being given the English version of their names at birth. I feel sure it was a way to protect them. My family has been in Texas since it was colonized/part of Mexico and before, with “sangre Indio” in our veins. My relatives did not get repatriated, but they did attend segregated “Mexican” schools. The importance of education was drilled into them as the way to escape poverty. It worked. 3 of the 6 kids became doctors and 2 became teachers, long before any affirmative action existed. Education is key. We must continue to shine light on our darker histories, to make room for hope. Thank you again for your article. I’m glad operation wetback (what a nasty name) was met with such opposition from the public. I feel confident that if and when the next round comes we will stand for one another.
I live in California. There are families who have lived here since before California was even part of the United States. I don't know if any of them might have been sent back to Mexico. I do know they were sent to segregated schools (up until the 60s) and trained to be farm and domestic workers. I took a class at the local community college called the Social History of the United States. We did get to learn about that history, as well as other policies, episodes, etc. in that class. Unfortunately, the class is at the college level and not mandatory.
My mechanic, who is of Mexican descent, one summer traveled with his Mexican cousins to work the ag circuit. He made a net 50 cents as they were charged for food, for housing, etc. He said he had never worked so hard for so little in his life.
If illegal immigration is truly seen as such a problem, why are not the employers of ever fined and/or jailed? Shouldn't this be a tool in solving the problem?
I've been reliably told by the maga side of my family that we are going through the worst economic disaster in the history of the US, so if the Depression was justification enough for what was done 100 years ago certainly there is more reason now in their minds. And all the other ills that will be cured as a bonus (the housing crisis, covid, poor quality schools, etc., etc.)
It felt weird hitting "Like" on this. When these things start, there has to be a way to get it in front of the eyeballs of the usually-disengageed.
Thank you and agreed! Please share on all your platforms. I’ll be doing more research on this as we near the policies being implemented. The more people know the more we can respond
I am ready to defend my family, my students and my friends. Not a threat. A promise.
I was born in 1955, probably right after Operation Wetback started and ended, from the sound of it, and this is the first I’ve heard of it. Absolutely shocking! Thank you for opening my eyes about this, Mike.
Me too!
One of the problems I read about with regard to US citizens being swept up in prior mass deportations was that many children were born at home and, thus, didn't have birth certificates to prove they were natural born citizens under our Constitution. For that reason, many US citizens were never able to come back to their own country.
The things I find alarming about the coming mass deportations, aside from the fact of them - again! - is the Trump team talking about denaturalization, challenging birthright citizenship, and most cavalierly, saying the problem of family separation could be solved by deporting whole families which, naturally, would include US citizen spouses of undocumented immigrants. When these people start talking about denaturalization and challenging birthright citizenship, we KNOW they're talking about black and brown people. Trump started scapegoating Mexicans in his announcement to run in 2015, and fears of 'invasions' by 'caravans' from Central America have been pushed like clockwork every election cycle.
I'm sickened by the number of people whose hatred of immigrants outweighs their concern about the effect on our economy, let alone the violations of basic human rights that will occur.
A terrifying history. More people need to know this, but I fear that this next administration will do its best to suppress stories that end with good people speaking out.
Thank you for sharing. Keep the insight coming.
Thank you for the history.
I wrote a piece touching on this after the election. We don’t teach a lot of history but design. Partly because we still believe we are exceptional. We are not. And for those of us who know the history, also know why this is coming. You have written of the Latino century..,that scares a lot of whites. There, I said the quiet part aloud.
I’d love to see your article!
Here you go
https://open.substack.com/pub/nadinabbott/p/consequences-and-screams-into-the?r=9kta6&utm_medium=ios
WOW-ZA. You're so right; I had no idea about so much of this, and I attended a top public high school in MA where my history teacher (thankfully) didn't shy away from so much of the ugly in our nation's history (the reason I know this is because I've been taught things I thought were common knowledge but have come across people from other parts of the country who were taught a more sanitized version). Thank you so much for doing what you do. I'm going to share this with my two girls still at home so they can know, too.
This part: "I view the repatriation as an ethnic cleansing that took place in the greater Southwest, including Los Angeles, in the Great Depression,” he said. “And it’s had significant impacts…. For generations, Mexican identities were kept, some might say, ‘in the closet.’ It was kept quiet.”
What's so interesting to me is that my (now-late) piano professor once mentioned how her dark eyes and features showed her part-Mexican heritage, "But that was the part of the family we didn't talk about." She was from LA. She stated this in a slightly joking tone, but she was also completely serious. As a White person who grew up in suburban New England, I just chalked up this statement to the racism experienced of the time. I had no idea about the history described above. Makes a whole lot more sense now.
The best history on how ethnic Mexican organizations responded to immigration during the 20th Century, both opposed to it and supporting immigrants, see David Gutierrez's Walla and Mirrors.
https://www.ucpress.edu/books/walls-and-mirrors/paper
Enlightening. The reality is that as enlightening as it is, it will reach 0.01% of the population. Stories like these have to be almost sought out. The reader must want to know the ugly truth. They are never discovered by the unenlightened. Or covered by the media. There is a disheartening (dis)comfort with the ignorance and lack of knowledge flouted in this country. And it's only getting worse. Much, much worse.
As always, thank you Mike. This history lesson brings light to the reasoning behind all of my aunts and uncles (born in the 40s and 50s) being given the English version of their names at birth. I feel sure it was a way to protect them. My family has been in Texas since it was colonized/part of Mexico and before, with “sangre Indio” in our veins. My relatives did not get repatriated, but they did attend segregated “Mexican” schools. The importance of education was drilled into them as the way to escape poverty. It worked. 3 of the 6 kids became doctors and 2 became teachers, long before any affirmative action existed. Education is key. We must continue to shine light on our darker histories, to make room for hope. Thank you again for your article. I’m glad operation wetback (what a nasty name) was met with such opposition from the public. I feel confident that if and when the next round comes we will stand for one another.
Will Mexico pay for this, too?
I teach it. Operation Wetback 1950’s
I live in California. There are families who have lived here since before California was even part of the United States. I don't know if any of them might have been sent back to Mexico. I do know they were sent to segregated schools (up until the 60s) and trained to be farm and domestic workers. I took a class at the local community college called the Social History of the United States. We did get to learn about that history, as well as other policies, episodes, etc. in that class. Unfortunately, the class is at the college level and not mandatory.
My mechanic, who is of Mexican descent, one summer traveled with his Mexican cousins to work the ag circuit. He made a net 50 cents as they were charged for food, for housing, etc. He said he had never worked so hard for so little in his life.
If illegal immigration is truly seen as such a problem, why are not the employers of ever fined and/or jailed? Shouldn't this be a tool in solving the problem?
I've been reliably told by the maga side of my family that we are going through the worst economic disaster in the history of the US, so if the Depression was justification enough for what was done 100 years ago certainly there is more reason now in their minds. And all the other ills that will be cured as a bonus (the housing crisis, covid, poor quality schools, etc., etc.)