Migration north and the Spanish of the United States
La migración hacia el norte
1942–. The Bracero Program of 1942 to 1964 brought more than four million short-term Mexican farm and railway workers to the United States and built the networks…
Draft: not yet checked against its sources.
What happened
The Bracero Program of 1942 to 1964 brought more than four million short-term Mexican farm and railway workers to the United States and built the networks along which later migration flowed, much of it without papers after the programme ended. Cubans came after the 1959 revolution, Puerto Ricans as citizens, Dominicans from the 1960s and Central Americans fleeing war and poverty from the 1980s. By 2024 the United States had 68 million Hispanics, a fifth of its people; about 40 million were of Mexican origin and 22.7 million were immigrants. Spanish is spoken at home by most of them, though the share is falling as children grow up in English. Remittances sent home are a major part of the economies of Mexico and Central America, and the border itself has become one of the great political questions of both countries.
Events along the way
- 2 February 1848: Mexico loses half its territory: the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
- 1 January 1959: The Cuban Revolution
- 7 August 1987: Esquipulas II: peace for Central America
- c. 2015: The Venezuelan exodus
Connected
- The Mexican Revolution begins (20 November 1910–1920)
- Esquipulas II: peace for Central America (7 August 1987)
Sources
- 1942: Bracero Program — A Latinx Resource Guide — Library of Congress
- Facts about U.S. Latinos for Hispanic Heritage Month — Pew Research Center
- Facts on Hispanics of Mexican origin in the United States, 2021 — Pew Research Center