The Bracero program offered many benefits that attracted workers. The workers that came to California had been told that their labor would not only be compensated in the form of wages but also with living arrangements during the length of their Bracero contracts. With the need of work and nowhere to stay, the workers were tempted more than ever to travel to the states and become a Bracero. Upon arrival, the Braceros found themselves in camps that were falling apart. They often sharing the living space with more men than the camps could comfortably fit. Although the living conditions were terrible, the Braceros had no other choice but to continue their work. In efforts to provide for their families back home, they endured poor living conditions in order to the poor living conditions of the workers in the Bracero program serve as a clear indication of the treatment they received.
Braceros that came over to the United States paid a monthly fee to stay in the housing camps near the farms they worked at. The camps they lived in were deteriorating and were not well kept. “He found the streets unrepaired and, outdoor lighting cut, some unites demolished, community closed up tight, and a “degree of disrepair…such that the fringes of these camps have begun to take on the atmosphere of nearby rural slums where there is not, of course, any pretense of housing management.””(Pg. 112, Mitchell) This excerpt from the book They Saved the Crops by Don Mitchell described is what many people saw when they would visit these labor camps. The comparison to rural slums paints a very clear picture of the neglect these camps endured. Braceros paid money for their stays and in return they received poor living conditions.
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This is a news article printed January 10, 1963 that testifies to the terrible living conditions the Braceros endured in the camps.
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At the time, Braceros were paid very low wages and most of it went to housing. “We used to think what a nice community we were going to make out of this camp. Now we have a place hardly fit to live in.” (Pg.12, Mitchell) Considering that their rent went from being sixteen dollars a month to thirty-six dollars a month was concerning considering their living conditions. These living conditions clearly display the mistreatment of the Braceros. Many of the reasons for their mistreatment were for the control of the camps. Since the government owned the camps, the farmers didn’t see any profit from these camps. Initially the farmers wanted to privately own the camps in hopes of making money off the Braceros. “By letting conditions deteriorate, management was able “to ‘prove’ that migrant workers are incapable of maintaining decent housing standards,” as long-held belief among farmers, and a reason frequently given for resistance to even the most minimal requirements of the Labor Camps Act.”(Pg.113, Mitchell) In their efforts to prove that the camps should be privately owned, the Braceros endured poor living conditions that would eventually endanger their health. “They not only don’t empty garbage cans, they don’t even keep them clean…Diarrhea is getting to be quite common due to the unsanitary conditions and we may have an epidemic of it some time they will have to close the camp.”(Pg. 112, Mitchell) The efforts to privatize the labor camps left the Braceros to be the only ones affected. The men living in these camps faced poor health because the same farmers who hired them for cheap labor also wanted control over the camps their workers lived in. Blinded by the potential profits, farmers did what they could to gain control of the camps in order to have more influence on the Bracero program. As a result of theses problems, many Braceros grew to resent their camp managers.
Not only were the conditions of the camps themselves terrible, but the treatment of the workers who lived there were also terrible. The workers were faced with discrimination. As previously mentioned, the farmers had a common belief that the braceros were “incapable of maintaining decent housing standards.”(Pg. 113, Mitchell) Workers not only faced low wages but also low expectations. Their camp lives were very regulated. “Housing in DiGiorgio Farms itself was segregated in nine separate camps, which ranged from excellent ranch houses for farm management, to a camp made up of five boxcars with no sanitary facilities.”(Pg. 122, Mitchell) Often times the braceros were put in the most uncomfortable positions because they were not considered and worthy of being in better living conditions. “When they did make it home at the end of the day—or night—they either made it back to fight the cockroaches climbing up the walls of the “Mexican camp” on the DiGiorgio property, or to houses “put together with cardboard, metal scraps, and used lumber” in the unincorporated “new towns.”(Pg. 122, Mitchell) The view of these braceros became more as inanimate objects that worked in field rather than human beings that were trying to provide for their families. Anna Rosas, author of the book Abrazando el Espíritu, comments that the Braceros were constantly watched and kept alienated from the surrounding towns. The uses of special immigrants in the camps were used in efforts to keep a close watch on Braceros. “Special immigrants like Sandoval were maintenance personnel, contracted to maintain labor camps up to Bracero Program standards, provide camp services, and conduct outside errands to reduce bracero travel to an interaction in surrounding towns.”(Pg. 148, Rosas) One could compare the work of a special immigrant similar to the work of a prison guard. The main propose for the special immigrant was to keep a close eye on the braceros. Just as a prison guard watches an inmate, the special immigrant was there to keep the braceros from going out of the camps and keep the peace at the camps.
The life in the camps is just a foreshadowing of the things to come to the Braceros. The deteriorating living conditions can be seen as a symbol for a deteriorating Bracero program. The conditions that Braceros endured also displays the amount of desperation they had for work. Enduring these hardships clearly demonstrates the need for a source an income for these Braceros. The fight over control of the camps only negatively affected the Braceros. Throughout the time of the Bracero program, the Braceros were negatively affected while others benefited. “…the workers themselves appear to be powerless pawns and passive victims.”(Pg. 27, Rosas)
Not only were the conditions of the camps themselves terrible, but the treatment of the workers who lived there were also terrible. The workers were faced with discrimination. As previously mentioned, the farmers had a common belief that the braceros were “incapable of maintaining decent housing standards.”(Pg. 113, Mitchell) Workers not only faced low wages but also low expectations. Their camp lives were very regulated. “Housing in DiGiorgio Farms itself was segregated in nine separate camps, which ranged from excellent ranch houses for farm management, to a camp made up of five boxcars with no sanitary facilities.”(Pg. 122, Mitchell) Often times the braceros were put in the most uncomfortable positions because they were not considered and worthy of being in better living conditions. “When they did make it home at the end of the day—or night—they either made it back to fight the cockroaches climbing up the walls of the “Mexican camp” on the DiGiorgio property, or to houses “put together with cardboard, metal scraps, and used lumber” in the unincorporated “new towns.”(Pg. 122, Mitchell) The view of these braceros became more as inanimate objects that worked in field rather than human beings that were trying to provide for their families. Anna Rosas, author of the book Abrazando el Espíritu, comments that the Braceros were constantly watched and kept alienated from the surrounding towns. The uses of special immigrants in the camps were used in efforts to keep a close watch on Braceros. “Special immigrants like Sandoval were maintenance personnel, contracted to maintain labor camps up to Bracero Program standards, provide camp services, and conduct outside errands to reduce bracero travel to an interaction in surrounding towns.”(Pg. 148, Rosas) One could compare the work of a special immigrant similar to the work of a prison guard. The main propose for the special immigrant was to keep a close eye on the braceros. Just as a prison guard watches an inmate, the special immigrant was there to keep the braceros from going out of the camps and keep the peace at the camps.
The life in the camps is just a foreshadowing of the things to come to the Braceros. The deteriorating living conditions can be seen as a symbol for a deteriorating Bracero program. The conditions that Braceros endured also displays the amount of desperation they had for work. Enduring these hardships clearly demonstrates the need for a source an income for these Braceros. The fight over control of the camps only negatively affected the Braceros. Throughout the time of the Bracero program, the Braceros were negatively affected while others benefited. “…the workers themselves appear to be powerless pawns and passive victims.”(Pg. 27, Rosas)