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The Bracero Program (from the Spanish term bracero [bɾaˈse.ɾo], meaning "manual laborer" or "one who works using his arms") was a U.S. Government-sponsored program that imported Mexican farm and railroad workers into the United States between the years 1942 and 1964.
Bracero workers were selected through a multi-phase process, which required passing a series of selection procedures at Mexican and U.S. processing centers.The selection of bracero workers was a key aspect of the bracero program between the United States and Mexico, which began in 1942 and formally concluded in 1964.
Millions of Mexican farmworkers were allowed to work legally in the United States on short-term labor contracts under the program. The men helped sustain the nation's economy during World War II.
After the bracero program, it became a law enforcement training area, began housing some city offices and a community center, and even served as a set for the 2000 film “Traffic.”
Ernesto Galarza (August 15, 1905 – June 22, 1984) was a Mexican-American labor organizer, activist, professor, poet, writer, storyteller, and a key figure in the history of immigrant farmworker organization in California. He had a dream of giving better living conditions to working-class Latinos.
Mexican American filmmaker Iliana Sosa's documentary, "What We Leave Behind" tells the story of a grandfather who was part of the "bracero" program.
The Bracero Program was a temporary-worker importation agreement between the United States and Mexico from 1942 to 1964. Initially created in 1942 as an emergency procedure to alleviate wartime labor shortages, the program actually lasted until 1964, bringing approximately 4.5 million legal Mexican workers into the United States during its lifespan.
All but two of the victims were Mexican or Mexican-American, and most were Mexican guest workers participating in the bracero program, which had been in place since 1942 and had been drawing mounting criticism from labor activists and civil rights workers who contended that it exploited Mexican laborers and deprived Americans of jobs. The ...