Introduction
There has been a continuous large-scale movement from Mexico to the United States for most of the century.  Political exile and economic gain have often pulled immigrants to the United States.  Despite close proximity to the U.S. and dramatic increase in numbers, Mexican Americans have remained largely subordinate.
Problem
An aura of illegality has surrounded Mexican migrants.  “Throughout the twentieth century, the suspicion in which Anglos have held Mexican Americans has contributed to a mutual distrust between the two groups.”   Political exile and economic gain have been a driving force for people entering the U.S.  Despite dangerous conditions, a poor standard of living and a seemingly unwelcome nature in the U.S., economic conditions in Mexico have caused immigration, both legally and illegally, to continually increase.
Immigration History
A large number of Mexicans first became U.S. Citizens without ever crossing the border.  This started with the conclusion of the Mexican American war.  The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed February 2, 1848, Mexico acknowledged the annexation of Texas by the United States and ceded California and most of Arizona and New Mexico to the United States for $15 million.  In exchange, the U.S. granted citizenship to the 75,000 Mexican nationals who remained on the annexed land after one year.  With citizenship, the United States was to guarantee religious freedom, property rights, and cultural integrity.  This allowed them the right to continue Mexican and Spanish cultural traditions and to use the Spanish language.
The beginning of the Mexican experience in the United States was varied.  Some Mexican Americans were affluent, with large land holdings, while others were poor peasants, struggling to survive.  Unfortunately, prejudice attitudes and newfound wealth turned against Mexican Americans.  In California, life was quickly dominated by the gold miners, and Anglos controlled these funds.  One generalization can be made about the many segments of the Mexican American population in the nineteenth century: they were regarded as a conquered people.  Whenever Mexican American and Anglo interests conflicted, Anglo interest emerged as dominant.  The ground was laid for the social structure of the Southwest in the twentieth century, an area of growing productivity in which Mexican Americans have increased in size, but remained largely subordinate.
Immigration from Mexico is unique in several respects.  First, it has been a continuous large-scale movement for most of this century.  The United States did not restrict immigration by way of legislation until 1965.  Second, the proximity encourages past immigrants to maintain strong cultural and language ties with their homeland through friends and relatives.  Return visits to the old country require only one or two-day traveling for Mexican Americans, not once-in-a-lifetime voyages as they were for most European immigrants.  The third point of uniqueness is the aura of illegality that has surrounded Mexican migrants.  Throughout the twentieth century, the suspicion in which Anglos have held Mexican Americans has contributed to a mutual distrust between the two groups.i
Reasons for Immigration to the U.S.
Large Scale immigration has throughout the twentieth century has been seen from Mexico for a variety of reasons.  The Mexican Revolution of 1909-1922 thrust refugees into the United States.  Political turmoil in Mexico has caused pushed political refugees to seek exile in the United States for most of the first half of the twentieth century.
An open labor market has also caused a pull of immigrants in search of economic prosperity.  World War I curtailed the flow of people from Europe, leaving the labor market open to Mexican Americans.  Nowhere else in the world do two countries with such close proximity differ on such a large scale in both standards of living and wage scales.  These economic differences also account for a push toward immigration to the United States, or a need to leave in an attempt to survive.
The years preceding World War I brought large numbers of Mexicans into the expanding agriculture of the Southwest.  Prosperity in this region of the United States, as well as the ease of travel the this relatively close area created a large concentration of Mexican Americans in the Southwest region.
Exploitation of Mexican Workers for Anglo Interests
Unfortunately, Mexicans searching for economic gain have often been exploited by Anglo interests.  Corporations in the United States, led by agribusinesses, invested in Mexico in such a way as to maximize their profits but minimize the amount of money that remained in Mexico.  This created a need for employment as well as deteriorated the local economies.  As a result, American Businessmen have used Mexican people when it has been in corporate leaders’ best interests.  The exploitation of Mexican labor by American agribusinesses has laid the ground for the use of Mexican workers as cheap and disposable laborers.
Mexican Workers have also been used as scapegoats for U.S. economic conditions.  Beginning the 1930’s, the United States Embarked on a series of Measures aimed specifically at Mexicans.  The Depression brought pressure on local governments to care for the growing number of unemployed and impoverished.  Anglo Dominance was again used to influence government officials to develop a way of reducing welfare rolls and eliminating people seeking jobs by shipping Mexicans back to Mexico.  This method was referred to as repartition.  As officially stated, the program was constitutional because only illegal aliens were to be repatriated.  Unfortunately, the United States had shown little interest prior to 1930 in whether Mexicans had entered with all the proper credentials.    The Anglo Community virtually ignored all outrage against the violation of any civil rights as they proceeded to deport Mexican Americans.
When the Depression ended, Mexican laborers again became attractive to U.S. industry.  “In 1942, when World War II was depleting the labor pool, the United States and Mexico agreed to a program allowing migration across the border by contracted laborers known as braceros.”   Within a year of the initiation of the bracero program, more than 80,000 Mexican nationals had been brought in, which made up one-eleventh of the farm workers on the pacific coast.  The program set minimum standards on transportation, housing, wages and health care of the braceros.  Ironically, these safeguards placed the braceros in better economic positions than the Mexican Americans, creating conflict and turmoil within the two groups.  Despite contributions of labor and expertise in agricultural farming, Mexicans were still regarded as a positive presence by Anglos only when useful, and the Mexican American people were merely tolerated.
The bracero program was continued until 1964 and the first immigration act was initiated a year later with the Immigration Act of 1965.  This immigration act was framed as an amendment to the 1952 McCarran-Walter Act, under which the total quota for Asia had stood at 2,990, compared with 149,667 for Europe and 1,400 for Africa.  People from the Western hemisphere, however, were not subject to quota at this time.  When this act was fully implemented in 1968 it abolished the ‘national origins’ quota system, introduced a new preference system, set up a labor certification program, and imposed a ceiling on western-hemisphere immigration.  In addition, the spouse, unmarried children, and parent of United State citizens can enter as nonquota immigrants without any numerical limits.
Despite discriminated against Mexicans through Anglo sentiment in the United States, as well as fighting government loopholes in repartition and exploitation of their labor from American contractors, economic and political turmoil have continued to push Mexican migration toward the Southwestern United States.   Although Mexico has seen steady growth in immigration, it is suspected that these regulations, despite attempts at government control, have increased the number of illegal immigrants entering the United States.  Another Crackdown, this time on illegal aliens, was to be the third step in dealing with the perceived Mexican problem.  Alternately called Operation Wet Back and Special Force Operation, it was fully inaugurated by 1954.  The term wetbacks, or mojados, the derisive slang for Mexicans who enter illegally, refer to those who secretly swim across the Rio Grande.  Like other roundups, this effort failed to stop the illegal flow of workers.  The number of Mexican “aliens” increased steadily for the next half of the century despite efforts at government regulation.
Illegal Immigration
By 1970, more Mexicans entered the country, both legally and illegally, than any other racial or ethnic group.  The Mexican American population nearly doubled between 1970 and 1980, and nearly doubled again by 1990.  This Some 300,000 Mexicans enter the U.S. illegally each year, in addition to a large number who migrate legally.  It also estimates that 3.2 million Mexicans may be in the U.S. illegally, 2.8 million of whom entered through the Southwest border and reside in California.
The need to stem illegal immigration prompted Congress to enact the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. The IRCA toughened criminal sanctions for employers who hire illegal aliens, denied illegal aliens federally funded welfare benefits, and legitimized some aliens through an amnesty program. The Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986 sought to limit the practice of marrying to obtain citizenship. A combination of trade, wages and agricultural factors point to continued high levels of illegal immigration from Mexico and possibly a gradual increase in numbers over the next five to 10 years. A growing stream of agricultural imports into Mexico could displace more farm workers and encourage them to head for the U.S. border.  As more farm workers arrive, agricultural pay scales will decline, which will make it harder for the new arrivals to keep up economically.  In California's San Joaquin Valley, the state's agricultural heartland, nine of every 10 farm workers are Mexican-born -- and welfare-dependency rates are in the double digits.  Economist Edward Taylor and Phil Martin, both of the University of California-Davis, have found that for every 100-farm jobs added, 139 more people living in poverty are added.
Each year about 300,000 people cross the California border illegally.  In 1998, 254 of them died.   The border patrols launched operations that should keep the immigrants from entering the US through central San Diego and San Isidro, the most popular crossings. They sought to achieve this aim by increasing the number of border guards and using more forceful tactics: steel fences, sensors and stadium-type lights to deter the migrants.
Dangerous Conditions
Unfortunately, the vast majority of the consequences were an increased risk of dying and a new branch of organized crime: the “Pollero“ cartels.  Polleros are guides for the Mexicans who attempt to cross the border illegally. They charge fees of up to $1,000 and account for up to 100 illegal border crossings per day.  Unfortunately, this translates into big money, which results in substantial power to influence politics.
Record-breaking temperatures in 1998 increased the risk of heat exposure in the unshaded desert regions of the Southwestern United States.  Migrants also tried to enter into California by swimming through the irrigation canals (e.g. All-American irrigation canal) which are often very deep and fast flowing.  Drowning rates soared in these areas, while others failed to survive high-speed chases by border guards.  Furthermore, upon reaching the United States, many illegal immigrants and migrant workers find living situations nearly uninhabitable.
Illegal immigration is a continuing problem which threatens this country's immigrant traditions and reduces the ability of State and local governments to provide quality human services.  In order to maintain fiscal and economic security, and turn the rising tide of negative sentiment against all immigrants, the Federal Government has taken aggressive measures to secure the border and curb illegal immigration.
Legislation Prohibiting Illegal Immigration
The Clinton Administration pledged to continue its leadership in finding solutions to this important and controversial problem. The President's goal for reforming the immigration system is straightforward: rebuild and revitalize the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the agency that has primary responsibility for immigration control.
The 1998 budget proposes $2.1 billion for the INS. This represents a 22 percent increase over its 1994 level. The Administration's 1997 Border Security and Illegal Immigration Control initiative will cost $368 million, which includes an investment of $327 million for critical immigration control programs and $41 million for other Justice bureaus to support INS activities.
Past attempts to curb illegal immigration have had limited success. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), which included employer sanctions, was intended to reduce the attraction of employment in this Nation for illegal migrants. The Act also authorized substantial increases in Border Patrol strength to prevent unauthorized entry. However, these and other well-intentioned enforcement measures have not been forcefully implemented. In large part, the INS has lacked the leadership and resources to fulfill its missions.
The border control initiative requires $181 million to strengthen our ability to apprehend and return illegal aliens to their country of origin. This prevention strategy provides necessary resources for the Border Patrol to take better command of the current illegal flow. The success of the pilot Special Operation in El Paso is exemplary of this targeted approach. More agents provide a visible presence at high-risk border areas to deter illegal entry.  Significant technology enhancement also enables most of the INS components to analyze intelligence, dismantle alien smuggling operations, and reduce illegal immigration generally. With the proper combination of sophisticated technology and people, the INS should be able to reduce illegal entry more effectively and regulate border admissions fairly and efficiently.
As another part of this initiative, significant resources will be devoted to upgrading the capability of the INS to communicate electronically with the State Department and other Government agencies so that it can control admissions at ports of entry more effectively. In addition, with implementation of the Administration's plan to improve management coordination between the INS and the Customs Service (a National Performance Review recommendation) we can more effectively reduce illegal alien and drug entries.
The Mexican foreign minister is running a campaign to highlight the risks by putting warning signs near main crossing points, but it is doubtful that signs will stop desperate people.  Many people say that as long as such big inequalities of incomes exist, there will be a non-stopping flow of migrants into the Southwestern United States.
Current Condition
Throughout the twentieth century the United States has seen continuos large scale movement from Mexico.  Reasons for this migration have varied from political exile to search of economic gain.  Reaching the U.S. Mexican immigrants are often been exploited by Anglo interests.  Contracted workers are often shipped to the U.S. and quickly returned when they are no longer of use or profit.  Furthermore, Mexican immigrants are often used as political scapegoats for economic problems in the Southwest.
The economic pull and political push towards the United States for Mexicans has been too strong to deter immigration.  Despite dangerous conditions and poor living standards many Mexicans resort to entering illegally, an act of near desperation.
Legislation prohibiting illegal immigration has failed to curtail their increasing numbers.  U.S. legislation is a seemingly ineffective combat to this problem.  Perhaps this legislation and funding should look more toward U.S. corporations led by agribusiness.  Maximizing profits while minimizing the amount of money that stays in Mexico has created a large economic gradient between the United States border and Mexico.  Compounded by close proximity and, often, political exile, immigration toward the United States is a decision that is easily understood from a Mexican perspective.