Running the Border Gauntlet: The Mexican Migrant Controversy »

This concise and cogent history of the Mexico/U.S. border conflict analyzes the acts that led to the current U.S. policy and its effects on immigration.

Preface

Part I Historical Antecedents of U.S./Mexico Geopolitics 1

1 Introduction: Religion, Race, and Imperialism 3

The Religion Factor 5

Protestantism and Capitalism 5

Anti Catholicism Movement in the New Republic 7

Strains of Racism and U.S. Expansionism 9

Historical Antecedents of Manifest Destiny 9

Jim Crow America 15

Congressional Apology for Slavery 18

2 Myths and Realities of the Annexation of Texas and the War with Mexico 21

Texas---Myths and Reality 21

The Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819 25

The Empresario Land Grants 24

The Mexican Constitution and the Slavery Issue 27

The Emerging Texas Republic 29

Slavery and the Texas Constitution 30

Prelude to the U.S. Civil War: Texas Annexation and the War with Mexico 32

Polk's War and a Divided Nation 33

The Unresolved Slavery Issue 38

The Road to Political Disorganization following the Mexican War 40

Whigs Exit---Republicans Emerge 40

Franklin Pierce---New England Advocate for Slavery and Imperialism 41

The Ostend Manifesto and Gadsden Purchase 44

3 The History of Border Conflicts and Their Impact on Migration Trends and Policies 49

The Texas Rangers 49

The Texas Rangers during the Republic Era 49

The Texas Rangers following Statehood: A Sordid History Continues 53

The Porfiriato: Setting the Stage for the Mexican Revolution 53

The United States' Favorite Despot 54

Geopolitics and the Mexican Revolution 55

Seeds of Mexican Discontent 57

Border Disruption: From Roosevelt's Corollary to the Wilsonism Critique 58

The Plan de San Diego: A Failed Attempt to Regain the Homeland 61

The Texas Rangers' Reign of Terror 62

Villa's 1916 Raid on Columbus, New Mexico, and the Punitive Expedition 63

Harsh Treatment of the Villista Prisoners 64

From Unilateral Police Action to Diplomatic Border Politics 65

Part II Mexican Migration and Social Issues from 1917 to Present 69

4 Labor and Migration issues: 1917-64 71

Mexicans and Early Immigration Laws 71

The Bracero Program 75

Bracero Revised, Emerging Mexican American Organizations, and Operation Wetback 78

5 Post-Bracero Migration Trends and Issues 87

The "Other Whites'" Emergence Socially and Politically 87

The Pro-Democracy Massacre in Mexico City 93

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the New Mexico Land Grant Controversy 94

The Court of Private Land Claims Legislation (1891 Act) 94

Land Grant Issues in New Mexico Today 94

Overview 95

Industrialization and Internationalization of the Borderlands---Maquiladoras, WTO, and NAFTA 95

Maquiladoras---The Industrialization of the Borderland 96

NAFTA---Mexico's Transformation to Capitalism 97

6 Social and Human Justice Issues 101

Immigration Issues since NAFTA: Laws and Trends 101

The Politicalization of Mexican Immigration to the United States 103

Vigilantes and the Manifestation of Hate for Mexican Migrants 110

Fencing the Border and Creating "Death Corridors" 113

Borderland Perils 116

The "War on Drugs," RICO, and the Death Penalty Issue 116

Borderland Violence---Collateral Damage: Bystanders and Maquilador Workers 126

Epilogue 135

Chronology of Major Events 141

Notes 147

Bibliography 159

Index 173