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Public Law 78: A Tangle of Domestic and International Relations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

James F. Creagan
James F. Creagan*
Affiliation:
Department of Government, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas
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Extract

The movement of Mexican laborers across the international boundary into the southwestern United States has been occurring since the establishment of a boundary in that area. It is a natural movement of worker toward the source of work. Interests of the governments involved have caused checks to be placed upon this movement of workers. Public Law 78 represented one of the recent attempts of the United States government, through co-operation with the Mexican government, to regulate the movement of migrant workers.

In this article I will briefly trace the history of PL 78. The impact of this law upon Mexico and its relevance for United States relations with that country are of importance.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Inter-American Studies , Volume 7 , Issue 4 , October 1965 , pp. 541 - 556
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1965

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References

l Migratory Labor in American Agriculture. Report of the President's Commission on Migratory Labor, 1951, pp. 49-88, 177-187.

2 United States Department of Labor, Mexican Farm Labor Consultants Report, 1959.

3 The New York Times, August 26, 1961.

4 Ibid., September 12, 1961.

5 Hispanic American Report, XIV (December 1961), 874.

6 The New York Times, October 5, 1961.

7 United States House of Representatives, Report No. 722, One Year Extension of Mexican Farm Labor Program, 88th Congress, 1st Session, 1963, p. 4. Hereafter cited as Report No. 722.

8 United States Department of Labor, Foreign Workers Admitted for Temporary Employment in VS. Agriculture 1942-1963, 1963, table I. Figures for 1963 and 1964 were provided by The New York Times.

9 For a complete account of guarantees and some interpretation, consult United States Department of Labor, Information Concerning Entry of Mexican Agricultural Workers into the United States (Washington, 1962), pp. 1-23.

10 See statement of Irvin Shrode, Assistant Commissioner, Travel Control, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Department of Justice in United States House of Representatives, Hearings, Mexican Farm Labor Program. Subcommittee on Equipment, Supplies, and Manpower of the Committee on Agriculture. 88th Congress, 1st Session, 1963, p. 53. Hereafter cited as House, Hearings, 1963. For an account of the inadequacy of PL 414 to protect Mexicans see Leary, Mary Ellen, “As the Braceros Leave,” The Reporter, January 28, 1965, p. 45 Google Scholar.

11 Mexico 1963: Facts, Figures, Trends (Mexico: Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior, S.A., 1963), p. 287.

12 Hispanic American Report, XVI (August 1963), 548.

13 Ibid., XVI (July 1963), 433.

14 California Farmer, April 20, 1963, p. 10.

15 House, Hearings, 1963, p. 85.

16 For communication of Ambassador Carrillo Flores see Report No. 722, pp. 6-8.

17 Hispanic American Report, XVI (August 1963), 548.

18 House, Hearings, 1963, p. 44.

19 Ibid., p. 41.

20 U.S. News and World Report, May 31, 1965, p. 75. Also see Nation's Business, May 1965, p. 33 for effects on Mexican and United States economy caused by end of PL 78.

21 United States Congressional Record, CVII, Pt. 15 (September 16, 1961), 19797

22 Report No. 722, p. 12.

23 Mimeographed statement of Representative E. C. Gathings. PL 78—The Mexican Labor Law Runs into Difficulty in House, May 31, 1963.

24 Hispanic American Report XVI (July 1963), 432.

25 The New York Times, March 14, 1965.

26 U.S. News and World Report, May 31, 1965 p. 74.

27 See The New York Times, April 16, 1965 and April 25, 1965.

28 Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 2, 1965.