This book is primarily a description of the mass deportations of Mexican undocumented workers in 1954. García casts the deportation in the historical context of the Bracero Program, United States immigration policy, and Border Patrol operations. The author’s argument rests on the simple notion that people go from “bad” to “better” places and situations. There exists a large body of research and publications that establish this argument in more dynamic and detailed manner than does this study.
García does better in outlining the origins and development of the Bracero Program and establishing the relationship between contract labor and illegal immigration. The activities of the Border Patrol in the early 1950s are explored in considerable detail. The core of García’s argument is found in the latter half of the volume and he provides excellent documentation of the events leading to the mass deportation (INS files on Operation Wetback, the Truman Library and National Archives).
Use of these primary sources enables García to reconstruct the sequence of events and to identify the design and major actors involved in the deportation. García’s treatment of this theme is outstanding and comes off better than other recently published books about Mexicans in the United States that rely heavily on secondary sources. Operation Wetback is a well-written and interesting book. Students of migration, ethnic history, and regional studies will find many uses for García’s study.
