Mexican Immigration to the USA Lizbeth JgerAlemn May

Mexican Immigration to the USA Lizbeth Jäger-Alemán May 2, 2006

Borders and Borderlands (1) Definition of border: “A border is a line that separates one nation from another or, in the case of internal entities, one province or locality from another. ” Martínez: 1994

Borders and Borderlands (2) Functions of a border: “To keep people in their own space and to prevent, control, or regulate interactions among them. ” Martínez: 1994

Mexican-U. S. borderlands from 1853 to the present

Tijuana-San Diego

Tijuana Tepoztlán

Borderlands interaction • • Alienated borderlands Coexistent borderlands Integrated borderlands Interdependent borderlands

Conditions for interdependent borderlands Stable international relations • The existence of a favourable economic climate • Policies concerning the national interests of the two countries. •

The Bracero Program • The Bracero Railroad Program - • 1942 -1945 The Bracero Agricultural Program - 1942 -1964 Texas Wetbacks

The “Wetbacks” Rio Grande Two “wetbacks”

Reactions against illegal immigration (1) • Operation Wetback Texas (July 1954) • Immigration Reform and Control Act, IRCA (1986) • Operation Gate Keeper (1994) • Real ID Act (2005)

Reactions against illegal immigration (2) Current proposal discussed at the Senate: HR 4437: The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act, 2005

Reactions (1)

Reactions (2)

Some useful links http: //www. nytimes. com/ http: //www. latimes. com/ http: //spiegel. de/politik/ausland/ http: //www. ilrc. org/HR 4437. php http: //www. nohr 4437. org/

Sources • Martínez, Oscar J. (1994) Border People: Life and Society in the USMexico Borderlands. Tucson: Univ. of Arizona Press • Bracero Program: http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Bracero_Program • Operation Wetback: http: //www. tsha. utexas. edu/handbook/online/articles/OO/pqo 1. html • Durand, Jorge: “Cien años de política migratoria mexicana” http: //www. jornada. unam. mx/2003/11/23/mas-durand. html

Thank you!