About State of the Union History

1955 Dwight D. Eisenhower - Operation Wetback (started in 1954)



"Operation Wetback" is generally remembered as a time in U.S. history when the Eisenhower administration deported over 1 million illegal immigrants back to Mexico.  But it is much more than that, Operation Wetback was a reorganization and centralization of US immigration and border patrol agencies.  According to Eisenhower's Attorney General Herbert Brownell, Operation Wetback was a response to what he called "an actual invasion by illegal entrants from Mexico".   Believe it or not, in 1953 President Eisenhower considered deploying federal troops to control the border.   General Joseph Swing was sent to the border, and instead of recommending federal troops he recommended that with "proper disposition of personnel and material the border could be brought under control."   So under the direction of General Swing, the immigration offices were reorganized, command was centralized, officers were trained and given new powers, and the border was brought under control.  In 1954, over 3,000 aliens were deported daily, but by 1956 the number had dropped to 250.  In 1955, President Eisenhower suggested that our immigration process was  discriminatory and inequitable, but was he referring to Operation Wetback?  Did Eisenhower have regrets over the "success" of Operation Wetback?  My conclusion may surprise you.

When Operation Wetback was first started under General Swing as the Director of the United States Immigration and Naturalization, it was done in cooperation with the Mexican government to stop illegal entry of Mexican laborers into the the United States.   Since 1942 under the Roosevelt administration, manual laborers or "braceros" were allowed to come to the United States under short-term contracts to work on American farms.   The bracero program guaranteed wages, housing and proper food for the migrant worker, but the program did not provide enough accommodations for the number of Mexicans who wished to find work in the United States.  U.S. immigration laws which required literacy, health exams and fees proved to be significant obstacles for these Mexican laborers.  This combined with food shortages and population growth in Mexico, drove many Mexicans to evade the immigration laws.  In addition, many large farming operations in the U.S. became dependent upon the cheap labor to turn a profit, providing an incentive for migrant laborers to cross the borders illegally.  As hundreds of thousands of migrant laborers crossed the border, there was a growing concern over the impact of assimilated immigrants and popular pressure caused the President Eisenhower to initiate Operation Wetback.  With 750 Border patrol agents and immigration officers on hand, over 1 million illegal immigrants were apprehended, and deportations took place using buses, trains and planes.  

With such great success, it is curious why anyone would consider that the "wetback legislation" was being bogged down in Congress.  In July of 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was asked about the "wetback legislation" prepared by Attorney General Brownell being bogged down in Congress.    Eisenhower, said that just one year earlier, there was great urgency about, but now it seemed to need an additional push.  Eisenhower responded that the real issue was finding a way to ensure that the law did not interfere with the "transient workers who come in by legal means".  In only vague terms, he continued "the only difficulty is these that come across illegally; it is difficult to control unless he gets these additional measures. I believe there are two of them on that particular subject that should be enacted."   But what new measures was Eisenhower referring to?
  
Six months later in January of 1955, President Eisenhower, publicly urged Congress to address the inequitable and discriminatory provisions of the Operation Wetback legislation.  One may think that he is referring to the injustice of deporting hundreds of thousands of Mexicans, or the hundreds of thousand more who were leaving the country in fear of deportation, but again just like he did six months earlier, he spoke in only vague terms. Here are President Eisenhower words from his 1955 State of the Union address referring to additional measures or provisions needed.
"Two years ago I advised the Congress of injustices under existing immigration laws. Through humane administration, the Department of Justice is doing what it legally can to alleviate hardships. Clearance of aliens before arrival has been initiated, and except for criminal offenders, the imprisonment of aliens awaiting admission or deportation has been stopped. Certain provisions of law, however, have the effect of compelling action in respect to aliens which are inequitable in some instances and discriminatory in others. These provisions should be corrected in this session of the Congress."
What were these provisions of law that had the effect of compelling action which were "inequitable in some instances and discriminatory in others"?  President Eisenhower did not go into further detail.  But, to better understand what these needed provisions were, we look to his Attorney General Herbert Brownell.  On April 13, 1956 Brownell delivered a statement on Immigration before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Immigration.   In this report, the Attorney General testified on a number of subjects including the reorganization of Immigration Offices, Training of Immigration officers, Reorganization of Border patrol, the abolition of indiscriminate Detention, immigration quotas, and other items regarding the restrictive immigration policies.   The intent of Brownell's report was to first describe what was done administratively, snf then explain what these legislative changes Eisenhower needed to properly complete the program.  According to Brownell the chief weakness of the system was the absence of a proper organization and division of responsibility among the immigration offices.  To address this, the Eisenhower administration reorganized the offices and established intensive training courses for immigration officers.  Brownell testified that because of loose command the Border Patrol effectiveness was impaired precisely as the time when the "wetback problem" was becoming increasingly serious.   To address this, all field operations of the Border Patrol were centralized, so that "on the southern border all operations are vested in one command responsible for the entire border".   In addition Border Patrol Officers were now appointed as Customs Officers with the additional duties detection and apprehension of smugglers and narcotic law violators.  Regarding deportation, the Attorney General also testified that the "removal of Mexicans illegally in this country s now one of the function of the Border Patrol air transport arm".  Planes carried illegals to a border station, where they boarded vessels to Vera Cruz, Mexico.

These were the administration's actions under the "Operation Wetback" program.    Brownell reminded the senators that this program stemmed from what he called "an actual invasion by illegal entrants from Mexico".   One that was "of such massive proportions that it had even been suggested that federal troops were the only solution".  In 1953, General Swing who was brought in to make an immediate inspection of the border, concluded that federal troops were not needed.  Instead Swing recommended that the border could be brought under control with "proper disposition of personnel and material".  With that recommendation, the reorganization, training and centralization of command under the program "Operation Wetback was accomplished skillfully and quickly"  and "every safeguard was employed to make certain aliens were treated humanely and fairly".  According to the report, the results were "gratifying".  In 1953, the Border Patrol was removing "3,000 wetbacks daily", but by 1956 that number was reduced to less than 250 per day.   The impact on tax payers was tremendous, claims of unemployment benefits dropped 10% in California saving taxpayers in that state $325,000. 

The second half of the report dealt with the provisions needed to revise the immigration and nationality laws.  Brownell specifically referenced President Eisenhower's 1954 State of the Union address, so we know that he is giving details of those very provisions to fix the "inequitable in some instances and discriminatory" laws.  Brownell explained, that the proposals fell into four categories.   1.  Revision of the quota system.  2.  Removing the burden on Congress and the President by the 3000 or so private immigration bills.  3. Elimination of unnecessary administrative provisions.  4. Regulation of judicial review of deportation.  The last one is the only one that seems related to Operation Wetback, but according to Brownell, this was not about injustice done to the migrant worker, but rather it was about activist judges who were abusing their power to hold up orders of deportation.  Orders for deportation, were being  challenged in courts even when an alien had a long criminal record.  Brownell explained that historically, an order of deportation could only be challenged under habeas corpus, but in recent years it had become possible as a result of a simple judicial decision.  The new legislation being suggested, was to revise the laws, so that an alien in custody pursuant to an order of deportation could obtain judicial review by habeas corpus only.  For, those aliens not in custody, the bill would allow for a judicial review, but not until all administrative remedies had been exhausted.  If the alien had a past criminal record, no review, including that of habeas corpus would be allowed.

The Eisenhower administration and his Attorney General, did not have second thoughts on Operation Wetback, nor did they perceive it as discriminatory.  Rather, they found it to have a satisfactorily outcome.  Eisenhower did find discriminatory and inequitable actions in our quota system and restrictive immigration, but regarding Operation Wetback, the only injustice he saw was of activist judges who were holding up deportation hearings.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=10416
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=9950
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/ag/legacy/2011/09/12/04-13-1956%20pro.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Wetback
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/MexicaliBraceros%2C1954.jpg

2 comments:

  1. New president starts tomorrow a country will be safe again

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank God it’s time Mr. Biden really retires. He needs to to enjoy the rest of his life in his family.

    ReplyDelete