INS Notes

Key Points: * Many researchers seek “Mexican Repatriation” records from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for individuals who left the U.S. during the Great Depression (1929-1939). * However, most departures were not formally recorded because the majority left voluntarily or due to state/local repatriation programs, rather than through formal INS deportation proceedings. * Estimated 400,000 to 1 million Mexicans and Mexican-Americans returned to Mexico during the Depression.

INS and Deportation Efforts: * INS did increase deportations in the 1930s but was not the primary driver of mass repatriations. * Some local governments and aid agencies pressured Mexicans to leave by: * Denying relief aid to foreign-born applicants. * Threatening deportation under public charge laws. * Offering financial aid or tickets for returning to Mexico. * INS cooperated in local efforts, but its role was limited. * In 1931, INS raids in Los Angeles arrested 389 deportable aliens, 269 of whom were Mexican. * These raids encouraged thousands more to leave voluntarily.

State and Local Repatriation Efforts: * Los Angeles County organized the largest local repatriation program, hiring trains to transport thousands of Mexicans to the border. * Michigan (1933): State government sent 1,500 Mexicans to the border with INS escorts, but no federal deportation records exist for them. * Most local repatriation programs were not formally documented by the INS.

Misconceptions and Inflated Numbers: * Newspapers often conflated federal deportations with voluntary returns and state/local programs. * Example: The Salt Lake Desert News (1931) falsely claimed 70,000 Mexicans were deported from Southern California. * INS statistics for 1930: * Total deportations: 18,142 aliens. * Mexicans deported: 8,335. * Actual INS removals (1929-1935): About 82,000 Mexicans. * INS removals accounted for only 8-20% of all repatriations during peak years.

Why Most Researchers Won’t Find INS Records: * Only formal INS deportations or voluntary departures generated federal records. * The majority of repatriations (hundreds of thousands) were voluntary or locally organized, with no INS documentation. * Many left due to economic pressures, discrimination, and coercion, rather than federal deportation orders.

Conclusion: * While the INS played a role in deportations, most repatriations were driven by local programs and personal decisions. * INS records exist only for a small fraction of those who left. * The belief in a massive, centralized federal deportation program is inaccurate—repatriation was a mix of voluntary departures, local/state efforts, and some federal removals.

Argument: The American Federation of Labor’s Role in the Repatriation of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans During the Great Depression

During the Great Depression, economic hardship led to increased hostility toward immigrant laborers, particularly Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. While much of the focus on repatriation has been placed on federal and local government actions, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) played a significant role in pressuring for the removal of Mexican workers. The AFL, as a powerful labor organization, actively lobbied for restrictive immigration policies and contributed to the widespread anti-Mexican sentiment that fueled repatriation efforts. Their stance on labor competition, nativist rhetoric, and influence on policymakers directly contributed to the conditions that led to the mass removal of thousands of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.

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  1. The AFL’s Longstanding Anti-Immigrant Stance • The AFL historically opposed immigrant labor, arguing that it drove down wages and took jobs from native-born workers. • In the early 20th century, the AFL supported restrictive immigration laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) and the Immigration Act of 1924, which targeted non-European immigrants. • While Mexicans were initially exempt from these laws due to labor demands, the economic collapse of the 1930s shifted the AFL’s stance—they began targeting Mexican workers as the next labor threat.

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  1. The AFL’s Role in Anti-Mexican Labor Policies • As unemployment soared during the Great Depression, the AFL pushed for policies to prioritize American-born workers over immigrants. • The union lobbied government officials to exclude Mexican workers from relief programs and pressured employers to fire Mexicans in favor of white American laborers. • The AFL’s rhetoric reinforced the false belief that Mexican laborers were responsible for widespread job loss, despite the reality that many Mexican workers were employed in low-paying agricultural or industrial jobs that white workers had previously avoided.

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  1. AFL’s Influence on Government Repatriation Efforts • The AFL’s lobbying efforts led to increased federal and local actions against Mexican workers: • Local governments—under AFL influence—implemented policies that denied public assistance to Mexican families. • State and local repatriation programs were launched to forcibly remove Mexicans from relief rolls. • The federal government’s deportation efforts were bolstered by AFL-backed demands for stricter enforcement of immigration laws. • The AFL’s endorsement of workplace purges encouraged employers and local authorities to fire and remove Mexican workers.

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  1. The AFL’s Role in Public Sentiment and Media Narratives • The AFL engaged in public campaigns blaming Mexican laborers for unemployment. • Through union publications, speeches, and lobbying, the AFL contributed to the xenophobic climate that justified mass repatriations. • AFL-backed politicians and media outlets exaggerated the numbers of deportations, making it seem as though removing Mexican workers was an economic necessity.

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  1. The Result: Mass Repatriation Fueled by AFL-Endorsed Policies • Between 400,000 and 1 million Mexicans and Mexican-Americans were repatriated during the Great Depression. • While only 8-20% were formally deported by the federal government, the majority left due to job loss, discrimination, and exclusion from aid programs—all of which were policies supported by the AFL. • The AFL’s influence on anti-immigrant laws, labor policies, and public sentiment played a direct role in making repatriation not just a government action, but an economic and social movement pushed by organized labor.

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Conclusion

The American Federation of Labor was not a government agency, but its powerful lobbying efforts, anti-immigrant policies, and role in shaping public opinion contributed significantly to the repatriation of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans during the Great Depression. By advocating for the removal of Mexican laborers from the workforce, pressuring local governments to restrict aid, and fostering an environment of economic scapegoating, the AFL helped create the conditions that led to one of the largest forced migrations in U.S. history. While the INS played a role in deportations, the AFL’s actions ensured that hundreds of thousands of Mexican and Mexican-American families had little choice but to leave.