Chp 5 Undocumented Labor and U.S. Agriculture

Vocabulary flashcards covering key laws, concepts, and labor dynamics related to undocumented Mexican workers and U.S. agriculture.

Bracero Program

U.S.–Mexico guest-worker program (1942–1964) that supplied temporary Mexican laborers, especially for agriculture, under highly exploitative conditions.

Undocumentedness

Legal status of lacking authorization to live or work in the U.S.; after 1965 it became a key mechanism for channeling Mexican labor into low-wage jobs.

Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) 1986

Law that first made it illegal to knowingly hire undocumented workers while offering limited legalization; largely symbolic and increased worker vulnerability.

Employer Sanctions

Penalties—created by IRCA—aimed at businesses that hire undocumented labor but rarely enforced, shifting risk onto workers.

McCarran-Walter Act (1952)

Immigration law that criminalized concealing or harboring undocumented persons but, via the Texas Proviso, excluded employment from punishment.

Texas Proviso

Clause in the 1952 McCarran-Walter Act stating that hiring undocumented workers does not constitute harboring, protecting agribusiness interests.

E-Verify

Federal electronic system promoted by lawmakers (including Barack Obama as senator) to check worker authorization and deter use of false documents.

Workplace Raids

High-profile ICE operations (e.g., Swift 2006) that arrest large numbers of undocumented workers, publicly showcasing immigration enforcement.

Silent Raids (I-9 Audits)

Obama-era strategy where ICE audits employer records, leading to worker firings without mass arrests.

Farm Labor Contractor (FLC)

Intermediary who supplies farmworkers to growers, expanded after IRCA to shield employers from liability and facilitate hiring of undocumented labor.

Seasonal Agricultural Worker (SAW) Program

Special IRCA provision granting legal status to farmworkers with at least 90 days of agricultural employment in 1985–1986.

De Facto Guest-Worker Program

System after 1965 in which undocumented migration replaced formal programs, providing U.S. employers with temporary, inexpensive labor.

In-sourcing

Relocation of low-wage, labor-intensive industries (e.g., meatpacking, construction) within the U.S. to exploit non-union, often undocumented workers.

Migrant Farmworker

Laborer who moves with the harvest; about 42 % of U.S. farmworkers are migrants, many undocumented Mexicans.

Agribusiness

Large-scale, industrialized farming sector that relies on cheap, temporary labor to maximize profits.

Mechanization (Agriculture)

Substitution of machines for labor; expected to expand if undocumented labor supply shrinks, according to USDA.

United Farm Workers “Take Our Jobs” Campaign (2010)

UFW initiative inviting citizens to apply for farm work, highlighting the unwillingness of domestic workers to take those jobs.

Nicholas De Genova’s Critique

Argument that so-called employer sanctions actually criminalize workers, forcing them into deeper precarity.

Truman’s Commission on Migratory Labor (1951)

Government body that documented growers’ preference for exploitable migrant labor and American workers’ avoidance of seasonal farm jobs.

‘Modern Agricultural Dilemma’

Conflict wherein U.S. food production depends on desperate, undocumented labor, causing social, economic, and environmental problems.

Environmental Costs of Industrial Farming

Issues such as soil erosion, salinization, chemical pollution, and reliance on non-renewable resources tied to large-scale agriculture.

Takeaway from USDA 2010 Report

Reducing undocumented labor would raise costs, spur mechanization or imports, but not improve domestic employment conditions.

‘Okies’ vs. Contemporary Migrants

Comparison of 1930s Dust Bowl migrants with modern Mexican farmworkers, both driven by poverty and following rumors of work.

Guest-Worker Logic in IRCA

Recognition that agriculture needs undocumented labor, shown by easier legalization for farmworkers than for other migrants.