New Article About “Operation Wetback”

Operation Wetback of 1954 is typically understood as a U.S. immigration law enforcement campaign that resulted in the deportation of over one million persons, mostly Mexican nationals. A new article by History Professor Kelly Lytle Hernandez (UCLA) in The Western Historical Quarterly Vol. 37, Issue 4, however, addresses the long and cross-border history of Operation Wetback. It uses research conducted in the United States and Mexico to trace the decade-long buildup and binational history, including the role of the Mexican government, of Operation Wetback and, in so doing, provides an important cross-border perspective on migration control practices along the U.S.-Mexico border.  Click here to read the article.

KJ