Operation Wetback
E38599
Operation Wetback was a controversial 1954 U.S. government program that carried out mass deportations of Mexican immigrants, reflecting mid-20th-century nativist and anti-immigrant policies.
Statements (51)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States immigration enforcement program
→
mass deportation campaign → |
| appliesToJurisdiction |
United States federal government
→
|
| authorizedBy |
Dwight D. Eisenhower
→
|
| characterizedBy |
lack of due process
→
racial profiling → summary deportations → use of buses, trains, and ships for mass removals → |
| coordinatedBy |
Joseph Swing
→
|
| country |
United States
→
|
| criticizedFor |
deportation of U.S. citizens of Mexican descent
→
human rights abuses → inhumane transport and detention conditions → reinforcing anti-Mexican racism → |
| describedAs |
a major episode of mass deportation in U.S. history
→
controversial → |
| destination |
Mexico
→
|
| estimatedNumberOfPeopleDeported |
hundreds of thousands
→
over one million (widely cited but disputed figure) → |
| follows |
Bracero Program enforcement measures
→
|
| hasCause |
anti-immigrant policies in mid-20th-century United States
→
concerns about unauthorized immigration from Mexico → nativist sentiment in the United States → pressure from Southwestern agricultural interests → |
| hasEffect |
civil liberties violations
→
family separation → labor shortages in some U.S. agricultural sectors → mass deportation of Mexican migrants → |
| historicalPeriod |
1950s in the United States
→
|
| influenced |
later U.S. immigration enforcement strategies
→
|
| legalBasis |
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
→
|
| location |
Arizona
→
California → Chicago → Southwestern United States → Texas → United States–Mexico border → |
| mainSubject |
Mexican Americans
→
Mexican immigrants → Mexican nationals → |
| notableShipUsed |
SS Emancipation
→
|
| organizer |
U.S. Border Patrol
→
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service → |
| partOf |
Cold War–era domestic policy
→
United States immigration policy → |
| pointInTime |
Dwight D. Eisenhower administration
→
|
| startTime |
1954
→
|
| uses |
military-style sweeps
→
raids in Mexican American neighborhoods → roadblocks and checkpoints → workplace raids → |
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Nativism in the United States
→
|
associatedWithPolicy |