It began in 1942 as a bilateral treaty between the US and Mexico. But while the bracero was officially dead, the migration patterns it established simply kept going, albeit illegally. According to the latest figures, some 600,000 illegal immigrants work on US farms, making up nearly 37 percent of all agricultural workers. By contrast, the Department of Labor only certifies 18,000 guest workers under the H-2A visa program that took the place of bracero. Technically it ended, but in reality it did not.
Nobody knows how to stop it.
If Arizona does get permission from Congress to try out a pilot bracero program, it will likely have strong support from the business community. Consider the plight of Kevin Werner, a hotel manager in Tucson, Ariz., a city where hundreds of hotel and restaurant jobs remain vacant for months at a time. But the people who are learning a new language, they'll be more ready to accept jobs at the entry level. Ariz. With a population of just 14,000, Douglas has become the chief illegal crossing point from Mexico, leading to 60,000 apprehensions in the past three months alone. This fact has Mayor Ray Borane embracing Hull's proposal to revive the bracero program.