On 6/30/2010 12:03 AM, Bill McKee wrote:


Was not Ike.

True.

Program started in 1942 when lots of people from the farm went
to war as soldiers and the Japanese in the West were interred. Was the
Bracero Program and allowed 3 and 6 month work visas. Were not all for farm
labor. I worked with. some in a lumber mill making pallets. 1857-1960.
Was ended .because the do gooders said the migrant farm workers had to live
in demeaning conditions. Instead of making the farmers that supplied
housing, supply livable housing, they killed the program. We could end
illegal immigration in 30 days by instituting a visiting worker visa for
those without a college degree (H-1 visa allows that now).

Your memories/understanding are flawed though the visitor visa
is a good idea.

Growing up in the northeast, we had migrant workers from the
south, mostly Florida, come through every fall. They were poor
black and white with the same base of people each year,
seemingly endlessly.

The smarter farmers followed the laws that required adequate
housing once those laws were in place, and kept their harvesters
on site till the crop was all in, under threat of being fired
if they left the place for any reason. The farmer would take
liquor orders on Friday night, buying the products and delivering
them, and kept the drunken misbehavior local and under control
so they wouldn't lose any harvesters to law enforcement. The
migrant workers had an agent who traveled with them and
maintained order, usually providing transportation (old school
buses) as well.

As recently as the 1990's I saw such migrant worker housing
in Wisconsin with rules posted, painted directly on the wall.
The place was like fraternity rooms I remember from college
days but had only metal bunk beds and no other furniture.
They had a refrigerator, common kitchen, and common bathroom
facilities.

In late fall, as the migrant workers headed south for winter,
they would come through a second time, buying up all old cheap
cars, running or not. Every family or group bought two, one
that drove and one they towed. Fixing the non-runner and selling
it was winter income. It is a good bet that by the time the
buses reached their point of origin they were nearly empty.