Operation Wet Back of 1954

What were some positives with this plan?

- People thought it opened up jobs to more Americans - It put a stop to a majority of the illegal immigration for a while

What were some negatives with this plan?

- Some Mexican-Americans were taken also during the process - The program for deportees was sending them to unfamiliar parts of Mexico - Some died from extreme conditions in Central Mexico - Many immigrants returned to the country illegally yet again

How many immigrants were deported during this time?

1.5 million

What was the name of the President who enforced Operation Wetback?

Dwight Eisenhower

Which President made claim that the immigration, legal and illegal, was practically an invasion?

Harry Truman

Where does the term "wetback" come from?

Illegal immigrants swimming up the Rio Grande to get into the country

How were illegal Mexicans treated here vs. Mexico?

In the U.S. they were treated with disrespect, cruelty, and abuse. In Mexico, they were still treated with disrespect but the abuse mostly stopped. When they were deported, agricultural jobs in Central Mexico were waiting for the majority of them.

What was the reasoning behind Operation Wetback?

Many Mexicans came to this country illegally and Americans were not happy about this. President Eisenhower called for mass deportations of all illegal Mexicans

How did the government enforce this plan?

The government issued for 300 jeeps, cars and buses, 750 patrol officers, and 7 airplanes that helped apprehend illegal immigrants and they were then handed off to Mexican officials.

What happened after most Latinos were deported?

They tried/succeed to reenter the country