Between 1929 and 1936, the US government sanctioned a mass deportation of Mexican and Mexican Americans. The exact number of people repatriated is unknown, but estimates range from 300,000 to 2 million individuals. Approximately 60% were American citizens. The prevailing narrative was that Mexicans were taking jobs from “real Americans” and increasing the crime rate. Neither was true. This widespread scapegoating and the ensuing anti-Mexican hysteria led to a tragic period of displacement and immense suffering.
The Mexican Repatriation, while often referred to as a single event, encompassed a variety of actions. Officially, the federal government removed individuals deemed to be in the country illegally. In 1933, it established the Immigration and Naturalization Services — a precursor to Immigration and Citizenship Enforcement — to streamline the rising numbers of deportations. However, after losing jobs, homes, businesses, and educational opportunities, many Mexicans and Mexican Americans unofficially and “voluntarily” left, following the Mexican government’s promise of land. Legal protections and due process rights afforded all people in the United States disintegrated, turning the removals into a program of hostile racial expulsion rather than a lawful action.
By 1934, the United States had repatriated approximately 1/3rd of the nation’s Mexican and Mexican American population. This scale underscores the depth of anti-Mexican sentiment and the desperate measures taken during the Great Depression. The promised economic benefits failed to materialize. Instead of freeing up jobs for American workers, the repatriation efforts reduced demand for goods and services, increasing unemployment for Anglo-American workers and further depressing wages.
The Mexican Repatriation of the 1930s serves as a powerful reminder of the dangers of allowing a real or imagined national crisis to fuel xenophobia and discrimination. It highlights the importance of protecting the rights of all individuals, regardless of their national origin or legal status. In 2005, California’s state legislature issued an apology. Signed by the governor, it recognized California’s participation in the unconstitutional removal and coerced emigration of US citizens and legal residents. To date, no other state has issued an apology. As similar events take place in 2025, it is important to consider the broader historical contexts of immigration, repatriation, and citizenship in the relationship between the United States and its southern neighbors.
