Paul Ellertson, online publishing coordinator 

Today, according to Dr. Raziel Valino, there are lots of migrants coming from Morelos, Mexico, to Minnesota, specifically Minneapolis. Many migrants come to Minnesota as young teens after enduring a very long, difficult journey and family separation to find work so they can send money back to their families. Those who come to Minnesota often get jobs as cooks and dishwashers. Many are working two to or more different jobs. 

Former Development, Relief, and Education for “Alien” Minors Member (DREAMer) and activist Leni Alvarez talked to our group about how dangerous and often horrible and humiliating the deportation process is, including how badly migrants are treated from the time of getting caught if undocumented to being sent to Mexico, for example. We went to the U.S. Embassy and were told that Mexico welcomes people back with open arms, when the reality is the complete opposite. It is also very difficult for migrants if they are sent back to their country of origin because they do not have anything or any knowledge of where to go, and there is little to no help available. 

The Bracero program introduced the first big wave of migrant workers to the U.S. from the southern border. The program started in 1942 during World War II and continued to 1964. Not many immigrants came to Minnesota during this period; most recipient states were in the Southwest and Northwest. The recruiting process for this program was very dehumanizing; workers were forced to strip down completely and were sprayed with disinfectant. Migrant workers to this day are still very dehumanized, not just at work, but in their daily lives. On the job, these workers were subject to very harsh conditions, such as hot days with little to no water or breaks. There were no protections, and injured workers had to seek out their medical care at their own expense. When it came to transportation to and from the job site, workers were shoved onto buses for a very dangerous ride. Overall, “the transportation resulted in the largest number of accidents and safety violations they experienced,” according to “Establishing connections and Consuming Mexican Labor.” When the period on their contracts was done, they would be sent back to Mexico, although many would return for more rotations because they were able to earn more money in the U.S. than in Mexico. They would send this money back to their families. 

To organize against the injustices faced in the workplace, the workers started to fight back, even at the cost of losing their jobs and possibly being deported. The United Farm Workers Union (UFW) emerged in 1962 in Delano, California, and “represented the larger struggle of the radicalized and economically marginalized Mexican-American population,” according to “Mounting Resistance.” The movement was led by the man well known today as Cesar Chavez, but someone else contributed a lot to the movement, whose name is not nearly as well known: Dolores Huerta. With the UFW Union, workers were able to negotiate better contracts, which included more pay and better working conditions.