Topics in Hispanic Genealogy from We Are Cousins Conference

Different talks at the We are Cousins conference I recently attended touched on the subject of braceros, who were Mexican laborers allowed into the U.S. for a limited time as a seasonal agricultural worker during the span of the Bracero program from 1942 to 1964.

The braceros had non-immigrant status and very few, if any, federal records were created about them. But if a former bracero returned to the U.S. following their participation in the bracero program you may find a border crossing record or an A-File record that will make references to their prior time in the U.S. The 1950 U.S. federal census should also enumerate braceros.

 
If you're familiar with the movie Born in East L.A. you'll know that in the movie Cheech Marin's character, a U.S. citizen, is mistakenly deported to Mexico. Sadly, there are many real-life instances of this occurrence, with many happening during the Great Depression. Blamed for worsening economic conditions, many Mexicans and Mexican-Americans were deported to Mexico, an estimated forty to sixty percent who were U.S. citizens. These round-ups were conducted on a local level and did not generate records. You may be able to find mentions in local newspapers. The 1950 census will be invaluable to researchers of Mexican ancestors as it will show those that had been repatriated and had returned to the U.S. 

If you’re not familiar with Mexican repatriation, it’s worth reading about. Here’s a Wikipedia article about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Repatriation

JO