The Bracero Program

1
The Bracero Program

• More than 200,000 Mexicans came to the U.S. to
  work as farmers they replaced the labor
  shortage due to the war
• Unfortunately, they suffered through terrible
  working conditions and low wages. Many companies
  cheated them out of a portion of their wages.

2
Mexicans and Mexican Americans

• Contributions of Mexicans and Mexican Americans
  in WWII
• More than 300,000 Mexican Americans served in the
  U.S. Army during WWII
• More than 17,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans
  worked in the Los Angeles shipyards during WWII

3
Zoot Suit Riots

• The riots happened in Los Angeles, where sailors,
  soldiers and marines returning from the war came
  into conflict with the local Mexican zoot
  suiters. On June 3, 1943, a group of servicemen
  on leave complained that they had been assaulted
  by a gang of pachucos.
• Gathered and headed out to downtown and East Los
  Angeles, the center of the Mexican community.
• Attacked all the men they found wearing zoot
  suits, often ripping off the suits and burning
  them in the streets.
• In many instances, the police intervened by
  arresting beaten-up Mexican-American youths for
  disturbing the peace.
• Several hundred pachucos and nine sailors were
  arrested as a result of the fighting that
  occurred over the next few days.
• Of the nine sailors that were arrested, eight
  were released with no charges, and one had to pay
  a small fine.
• Military authorities intervened on June 7, by
  declaring that Los Angeles would henceforth be
  off-limits to all military personnel.

4
How are immigrants being used in our current war
effort?

• Answer Green Card Soldiers
• Up to 41,000 US soldiers serving in todays US
  Army and comprising as many as half the Latinos
  killed in Iraq.