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Immigration = key symbol in American culture
- Raises emotions
- Love-hate relationship
- Anti-immigrant sentiments
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America let immigrants in after
gaining independence
1800s = massive immigration from European countries, China and Japan
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Immigration today
- No longer predominantly Europeans
- Asians & Latin Americans = 80% of illegal immigration
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1986 immigration law
Punished employers with fines and jail terms for illegal immigrant workers
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Native people crossed borders as illegal aliens
- Americans - crossed into Spanish, Mexican territory
- Sanchez - alarmed at influx of Anglo- Americans
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Affect of immigration on
citizen workers
- Immigration results in positive economic outcomes
- Job growth - natives earned slightly less, but many had jobs
- Areas of immigration = economically better
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Proposition 187
- Make life difficult for immigrants
- Make them return
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Why Mexicans and Central Americans come to the United States
- Mexicans - migrated to Mexican territories - long history of migration
- Central Americans - large numbers in late 1970s and early 1980s
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Roots of Mexican Immigration
- Railroads connected Mexico to U.S / European markets
- Rural labor force - cheap means of transportation
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Growing demand for labor in America - migration of Mexicans
- Early 20th century - New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma
- California - working on deserts
- Large-scale constructions in L.A, San Diego, San Francisco and Denver
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Mexicans = preferred labor
- Culture was not so different from American culture
- U.S employers already had experience with Mexican workers
- Mexicans - long history in area : not new or exotic
- Characterized as indolent, passive, noncompetitive, inferior, lacked ambition
- People who would not become competitors
- Considered temporary immigrants
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Great Depression 1930s
- Immigration stopped
- Mexicans returned home
- Anti-immigrant sentiments = especially anti-Mexican sentiments
- Hoover blamed depression on Mexican immigrants
- Immigration and Naturalization Service - repatriated Mexicans back to Mexico
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1940s - new recruitment for
labor
- WWII - men and women in military force
- Labor need
- 1942 - bracero program - ready source of cheap labor
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Migration as part of family history
- People who came during seasons - with Bracero program
- Bracero program ended in 1964
- Need for labor & Bracero program = opportunities
- Help support family
- Older family members migration - link that facilitated other migrations
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Target earners
- Earn money for targeted purpose
- Certain sum, return home
- Common among young unmarried men and women
- Sending a family member = strategy to find many sources of income
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The Immigrant's Dream
- Similar to the "American Dream"
- View the U.S as the land of opportunity
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________ led Central Americans to America
Violence / threat of violence
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