The Mexican Government and Repatriation, November 1934–June 1936

This chapter discusses the Cardenista government’s attempt to find a solution to the foreseen threat of a mass return of Mexican migrants from the U.S. Chapter 3 details how the Cardenas administration established that only a strict selection of skilled agricultural labourers would be permitted to return, and details how the administration determined that individual Mexican states should accept responsibility for providing both housing and assistance for repatriated nationals. Drawing on an overview of the studies conducted by the Cardenas administration on the population of Mexican nationals living in the U.S., this chapter states that ultimately, it was proposed that 450,000 people could be resettled at the cost of 366,345,291 pesos, and that this figure was well outside the government’s budget. Lastly, this chapter notes that plans for a resettlement colony in Baja California- called “Mexico Libre”- were established but never came to fruition.

Introduction

The introduction provides the reader with an historical overview of the Cardenas administration’s attempts to orchestrate an organized repatriation of its citizens from the United States during the years of the Great Depression. The introduction also endeavours to describe how Alanis Enciso’s overview of Mexican repatriation under the Cardenas administration differs from similar analyses, and how each of these works has influenced but ultimately differs from Enciso’s own book.

The End of the Project, 1939–1940

This chapter concludes Enciso’s exploration of the Mexican government’s attempts to repatriate its citizens, as well as its 1939 decision to end its official plan for organized repatriation. This chapter also explores how the official end of the repatriation plan impacted immigration and deportation measures in the U.S., as well as how the threat of a mass deportation once again spurred the Cardenas administration to announce plans to repatriate 1,000 Mexican nationals each month. Chapter 8 also notes the impact that the United States’ war effort had on migration and repatriation levels, as well as concludes that the Mexican government’s struggle to successfully repatriate its citizens during the Great Depression has greatly impacted the attitude and policies of both Mexico and the U.S. concerning immigration today.

Migratory Movements between Mexico and the United States, 1880–1934

This chapter presents an overview of the flow of Mexican immigration to the United States between the years of 1880 and 1934. It notes that two main factors were responsible for the influx of Mexican immigrants to the United States over this period of time, these being: 1) the expansion of the U.S. economy and integration of the southwestern states into the union, and 2) the difficult social and economic conditions that Mexico faced as a result of the expropriation of village communal lands and a decrease in wages on rural estates. This chapter also outlines the timeline of Mexican immigration throughout this period, from the late 19th to the middle of the 20th century, and analyses how momentous events, such as World War I and the Great Depression, spurred or deterred Mexican migration to the U.S., as well as the Mexican government’s various attempts to both encourage and curb repatriation.

The 18 March Agricultural Colony in Tamaulipas, 1939–1940

This chapter explores the establishment of the 18 March agricultural colony, a resettlement camp located in Tamaulipas; intended to be used to resettle 500 families, who would then be responsible for farming the land, the colony cost 786,450 pesos to establish. Chapter 7 details how resettled Mexican nationals ultimately faced dire circumstances at 18 March, as well as how the colony’s poor organization, lack of water, overpopulation, insufficient financing, disease, and lack of housing contributed to the colony’s collapse. Lastly, the chapter notes how, by 1940, repatriated settlers realized that the Cardenas administration could not deliver on the promises of provision that it had made in previous years.

Spanish Refugees, the Repatriated, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley

Chapter 6 explores the impact of the Spanish Civil War on Mexico, as well as Mexico’s decision to become a refuge state for thousands of Spanish exiles. This chapter chronicles how this action elicited a polarized response from Mexican citizens, some of whom welcomed the refugees, others of whom denounced them, citing their government’s responsibility to repatriate its own citizens first. Chapter 6 notes that this negative reaction contributed to the Cardenas administration’s expedited efforts to repatriate its Mexican nationals living in the U.S.; the official repatriation project took place over the course of only three months, from April to June 1939, and resettled some 3,750 people. Lastly, Chapter 6 discusses the hardships faced by repatriated Mexicans at these settlements, including a lack of irrigation and insufficient supplies.

The Repatriation Project, 1938–1939

This chapter examines how Mexican nationals living abroad reacted to the Cardenas administration’s proposed repatriation plans; it notes that the majority of Mexican citizens in the U.S. expressed little interest in returning to Mexico, as well as scepticism about the government’s ability to deliver on its promises. Chapter 5 also details Ramon Beteta’s canvassing of the Mexican population living abroad, and his subsequent plan to focus exclusively on repatriating families living in Texas, who faced harsher conditions than those living elsewhere. Finally, this chapter examines the Cardenas administration’s continued exploration of Mexican territory in their efforts to select a site on which to found an agricultural settlement for newly repatriated nationals.

From the Creation of the Demography and Repatriation Section to the Elaboration of a Repatriation Project, July 1936–October 1938

This chapter describes how the Cardenas administration continued to identify both the number of and problems facing Mexican nationals living abroad, and to devise plans to form agricultural colonies. Chapter 4 notes that in 1937, the Cardenas administration publicly announced its plan to repatriate Mexican citizens, citing their great need for this population to further the progress of their own nation. This chapter also examines the divisive reception that the permitted return of select nationals (namely, farmworkers) received from the Mexican public, and how some saw it as the government’s national duty to repatriate its citizens, while others staged angry protests and argued that the Mexican government could not seek to take in further nationals when the country had already struggled to absorb the small number of nationals who had been repatriated in 1935.

The Mexican Community in the United States, 1933–1939

This chapter describes the living conditions of many Mexican migrants, as well as how various political and social events impacted both the migration and deportation of Mexican workers in the U.S. It details how, in 1937, the influx of Mexican migrants to the U.S. decreased, due in part to the lessened incentive of local governments to drive them out of the country and from the growing social solidarity of the Mexican community within the U.S. An increased interest in obtaining citizenship rose among Mexican migrants to the U.S., driven in part by Roosevelt’s decision to cut the federal budget in 1937, which increased worker layoffs and increased the threat of deportation. This chapter notes that, in spite of this increased threat, many Mexican migrants began to thrive in the U.S.; some owned property, some elected to give up their Mexican citizenship, and some formed unions and joined strikes to assert their rights as workers. Lastly, this chapter notes that a slight uptick in the flow of returnees to Mexico was recorded in 1939.