How President Eisenhower's Racist Operation Wetback Still Inspires Today's Politicians

Presidential candidate and real estate mogul Donald Trump recently caused waves when he referenced a 1950s program that deported thousands upon thousands of illegal (and legal) Mexican immigrants from the United States. The operation which Mr. Trump so obliquely referenced was dubbed Operation Wetback. That was its official name.

A little background: after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the US entered World War II on the side of Allies. We all know this. Men are needed to fight wars and they volunteers (or were drafted) in droves. This left the agriculture sector of the American Southwest badly in need of workers to till the soil, pick the fruit, and plant the cotton. To that end, the United States, as part of our Good Neighbor Policy, initiated the Bracero Program. Mexican workers would be given work permits to work legally in the United States. This was all in fine and good while the boys were away…but then they came back. I should point out that many Mexican nationals did come here illegally to work. Many came by swimming across the Rio Grande, hence the derogatory name ‘wetback.’ American business owners were more than happy to hire them at low LOW wages.

Universal Newsreel “Wetback Roundup” via youtube.com

A report commissioned by President Truman, indicated that there was a massive illegal immigrant problem in the United States. The report stated,  “the magnitude … has reached entirely new levels in the past seven years. … In its newly achieved proportions, it is virtually an invasion.” Obviously something had to be done about these invaders (because we all know that in between picking strawberries they were planning the reconquista). When President Eisenhower lost patience with Congress’ inaction (see, it’s nothing new) he exercised his executive power and ordered Immigration and Naturalization to round up the illegals and kick them out. Dubbed Operation Wetback, the military-like operation deported people en masse using sting operations, home invasions, and daily roadblocks. Included among the deportees were actual American citizens.

Estimates vary but give or take about 1 million people were deported back to Mexico. They weren’t deported to the border towns. They were put on trains (mainly in Presidio and El Paso) destined for the interior of Mexico, lest they simply tried to cross again once they were unloaded at the border. The operation was a success: the public was happy and the government could say it actually did something.

If only it were a success…the problem then, as now, is that American businesses continued to need cheap labor. NBC News summed it up best, “The core demand of Mexican labor was never addressed. As a result, Operation Wetback was a setback in a larger migratory flow that essentially leads us to our current immigration context.”

Violence-Ridden Acapulco Was Once the Best Place in the World

In 2014, Acapulco's murder rate was 104 people per 100,000. What was it in the US? 4.6 people per 100,000. What makes this statistic particularly depressing is that Acapulco had once been Mexico's jewel on the Pacific. Its pristine beaches played host to John and Jacqueline Kennedy on their honeymoon. Frank Sinatra forever immortalized the city in his song, "Come Fly with Me." Acapulco was on the short list of exclusive locales, along with St. Moritz, Marbella, Palm Beach and Monte Carlo, on the jet set travel circuit. The sumptuously appointed Las Brisas Hotel was built both to accommodate the who's who of international society (for those who did not already own lavish villas) and to house the mistresses of rich Mexican bankers. 

John and Jacqueline Kennedy on their Acapulco Honeymoon via www.jfklibrary.org

Acapulco has always been important. It was New Spain's most important port. Twice a year, since 1565, the Manila Galleon brought porcelain, silk, ivory, and spices from China, via Manila, to Acapulco in exchange for Mexican silver. But it was still just a fishing village. Then, in the 1920s and 30s, Mexico City's elite discovered the untouched beaches and perfect weather and started coming in droves (just the rich though, they were the only ones that could afford the trek). It helped that King Edward VIII (the Prince of Wales) gave the place his stamp of approval. Then came the jet set (so named because they were the only ones that could afford pre-deregulation air travel)...and the artists. Diego Rivera spent his last days---not his last last day, he died in Mexico City---painting some of his most colorful work at the home of his-not-lover-but-she-totally-was, Dolores Olmedo. It was in the 1950s that Hollywood came knocking. Elizabeth Taylor married her third husband there. The Rat Pack were frequent visitors. 

In 1965, the now defunct Braniff Airlines, started nonstop flights from Dallas to Acapulco. Although Acapulco became more accessible to the masses, it was still a place for the great and good. The city was also very much cool and happening. Local legend says that the seaside resort was the first places to have a discotheque. It was also a place where politicians would get into trouble. Henry Kissinger got a lot of flack for spending more time there than in Washington. 

 Elizabeth Taylor and third husband Mike Todd in Acapulco via hollywoodreporter.com

Little by little, however, the city became overcrowded. The enlargement of the highway from Mexico City brought even more tourists. Other cities soon became more popular with vacation goers: Cabo San Lucas, Manzanillo, and (of course) Cancun. The Mexican elite, with their gated communities and 24 hour security still preferred Acapulco, however. It is, after all, next to what is arguably the most beautiful bay in Mexico. Ironically, it is their presence that probably caused much of the bloodshed. The drug lords want, and usually can buy, what old monied Mexican high society have. So you obviously need a villa in Acapulco. And, obviously, that is where one goes if one wants to kill a drug lord. 

How Hungry American Military Wives Invented Nachos...Sort Of

It was this month, 73 years ago that nachos were invented in the border city of Piedras Niegras, Mexico. Although invented in Mexico, nachos are not Mexican food. They – like fajitas, chimichangas, and ground beef enchiladas – are American inventions. Not to say that Mexicans didn't have a hand in creating said culinary gems. However, most were invented by Mexican restaurateurs in the southwestern United States to please the "Gringo palette."  

So how did three American women sort of invent nachos? In 1943, a group of American military wives, whose husbands were stationed in Eagle Pass, Texas, did what everyone does in American border towns: crossed the border to the Mexican sister city. When they got to the Victory Restaurant, the restaurant's cook was nowhere to be found. Well, the maitre d’, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, was not about to turn away potential clients. So he looked around the kitchen, and as you might have guessed, he got some tortillas, cheese (real cheese, not the kind we are used to now...more on that later), and jalapeños together and BAM! Nachos Especiales were born. 

Now, you would think that, as the inventor of one of the most popular foods in America, Mr. Anaya would have become quiet rich. Well, you'd be wrong. He never capitalized on the success of his invention. By the 1960s he saw how successful his creation had become, and he and his son tried to take legal action and claim ownership of the recipe. Lawyers informed the pair that the statute of limitations had run out on the matter. 

And what about the cheese? Frank Liberto, an Italian-American owner of concession stands did not want his customers to stand in line waiting for their nachos. So he concocted a secret recipe for the orang-y, gooey, nacho cheese we see today. So secret was his concoction, in fact, in 1983 a man was arrested for trying to buy Liberto’s formula. Little known fact: according the FDA, the cheese used on nachos today is not actually cheese. 

Why DO we celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

By now, hopefully, most Americans know that the 16th of September and NOT May 5th is Mexican Independence Day. So what exactly happened on this day and why do we celebrate in the United States? Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of the outnumbered and outgunned Mexican army over the French Imperial Army at the Battle of Puebla. Emperor Napoleon III of France (not THE Napoleon) needed a military victory to quell discontent at home, so when the administration of Benito Juárez suspended European debt payments France (along with Spain and Britain) invaded. The Mexican contingency was led by Ignacio Zaragoza, born in what was then Mexican-ruled Goliad, Texas. News of the battle and the role of Zaragoza, "the native son," arrived in Texas as early as 1867 when performers like Onofre Cárdenas from San Ignacio, Texas, sang ballads about both. It was not until the Chicano movement of the 1960s that Cinco de Mayo became widely celebrated in the United States, however. Although the day is technically about the Battle of Puebla, it became a day to celebrate Mexican-American identity. Oh, and the Battle of Puebla only temporarily stopped the French invasion. The French eventually occupied Mexico for three years and installed an Austrian Archduke as Emperor Maximilian of Mexico...and now you know the gist.