Immigration is a complex process characterized by certain benefits and shortages for all participants. In the United States, there are many immigrants from Mexico, and the government has to create specific policies and laws to manage population shifts. In the 20th century, the employment of immigrants was an ambiguous decision due to the possibility of hiring a cheap labor force and the necessity of legal registration. Robert R. McKay investigated the period of Mexican repatriation during the 1930s. His work “Mexican Repatriation Is a Part of Texas History” in Deporting Immigrants, edited by Anne C. Cunningham, presents the outcomes of Mexican repatriation from Texas during the Great Depression. The author admits, “State and federal legislation designed to mitigate the impact of the depression on the poor also contributed to the repatriation of thousands of Mexicans” (McKay 66). As he explains, many employers were seriously damaged by the necessity to deport customers and workers, close their commercial enterprises, and return to Mexico.
It was not enough for the American government to introduce the law and reduce the number of immigrants in the country. It was more important to support the conditions under which employment changes occurred. McKay’s assessment of the Texas Cotton Acreage Control Law and the Agricultural Adjustment Act helps understand the landlords’ reasons for evicting Mexican farmers. At the same time, the offered federal provisions did not protect Mexican Americans but limited their employment in the United States and made them leave the country and continue living on low wages. Therefore, the chosen quotation proves that legislation could not be defined as a purely positive or negative solution but another cause of new concerns and controversies.
Work Cited
McKay, Robert R. “Mexican Repatriation Is a Part of Texas History.” Deporting Immigrants, edited by Anne C. Cunningham, Greenhaven Publishing, 2018, pp. 62-70.