The Journey, Arrival And Settlement: Case Study

The Journey, Arrival & Settlement The decision to leave Mexico is difficult, the journey treacherous. For most, though, it is a risk they are willing to take because America is more promising than the despair they face at home. Often times to obtain safe passage through the rough, uncertain, and dangerous terrain the migrant will hire a guide referred to as a “coyote (smuggler)” (Ortmeyer, Quinn, 2012) who, in reality, has no true regard for their safety. A coyote is essentially in the business of human trafficking. Clinging to the hope of America, the immigrant feels as though they have no other choice than to become indebted to this mercenary. A recent report revealed, “On average, one person dies every day trying to cross the 2,000 mile border” (Special Report, 2012, p. 1).
On one hand, the war enhanced the U.S. economy, yet on the other yielded a decrease in American labors, men in particular due to the draft. In turn, there became a greater interest for farm workers. Accordingly, in 1942, the U.S. drew up an agreement with the Mexican government creating a temporary laborer program called the Emergency Farm Labor Agreement, also known as the Bracero Program. As a government-supported program, the Bracero Program, allowed Mexican laborers to enter the U.S. temporarily to provide aid to the American agricultural industry. The program ran a span of 22 years (Calisphere, 2016). Although their stay in America was temporary, the Bracero Program planted the seed of immigration in the hearts and minds of the workers and the longing to, someday, return to