Detalles del documento

By comparing the US Bracero Program with the Canadian Mexican Agricultural Seasonal Workers' Program, it is shown that three aspects of program administration account for why so many braceros stayed in the US illegally, while almost all temporary workers employed in Canada return to Mexico at the end of the season: (1) recruitment policies & procedures, (2) enforcement of employment & housing-related minimum standards, & (3) the size of the program. It is suggested that the administration of the program, in turn, reflects various interests that shape the state's position on foreign labor. Whereas in the US the Bracero Program was tailored to meet the needs of agribusinesses, the Canadian state responds to a wider variety of interests, including its own concern with the definition of ideal citizenship, as well as the need to protect domestic workers & the Mexican government's interest in assisting those who are most needy. Additionally, unlike the US, where braceros were employed mainly in agribusinesses, in Canada, Mexicans are brought to work on family farms. While desertion was a frequent phenomenon in the US, the paternalistic relationships that Canada-bound workers develop with their employers make desertion unlikely. Further, the US braceros who stayed behind were assisted by other resident Mexicans & Chicanos & were easily absorbed into the economic infrastructure that feeds off undocumented labor. In contrast, in Canada, neither the social network nor the economic infrastructure that would facilitate nonreturn is present. 43 References. Adapted from the source document.