Boulder County Latino History
Boulder County Latino History
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  • Repatriation and Deportation of Mexicans, 1932-1936

Repatriation and Deportation of Mexicans, 1932-1936

This resource examines deportation (or “repatriation”) of Mexicans who were unemployed or competed with white Americans for jobs during the 1930s, including a border blockade.

Full Text PDF: Chapter 4: Conflict, Racism, and Violence, 1910-1940

1,500 Mexicans loaded on trains in Denver

February 10, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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300-400 Weld County Mexicans leaving, 1932

February 10, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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75 Mexicans quit country for Mexico, 1932

February 10, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Boulder County Commissioners’ Resolution, 1932

February 10, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Delgado + Stefancic, Home-Grown Racism, Excerpt #1

February 10, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Delgado + Stefancic, Home-Grown Racism, Excerpt #2

February 10, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Delgado + Stefancic, Home-Grown Racism, Excerpt #3

February 10, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Mexican deportation in the 1930s, by Emma Gomez Martinez

February 10, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Mexican families deported at county’s expense, 1932

February 10, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Relief units swamped by needy’s calls, 1932

February 10, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Train load of Mexicans will leave for homeland tonight, 1932

February 10, 2016 / Mary Ellen Graziani /

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Historian Comments

After the mass migrations of the 1910s and 20s, some Mexicans were subject to “repatriation” in the 1930s. During the Great Depression, some immigrants were no longer able to find work, and white Americans resented having jobs taken by foreigners. The Mexican government offered to provide transportation from the border for people returning to their home country; US governments and agencies were to cover travel costs to the border. In Boulder County, repatriation was sometimes cast in a positive light, described as a charitable effort to help unemployed Mexicans go home; it also reduced the amount that had to be spent on social assistance for them. Although relatively few people seem to have left from the Boulder area, families generally went as a group, including those children who had been born in the US and were legally American citizens. It is also likely that many union organizers, including the “agitators” among beet workers, were deported less voluntarily. In 1936, pressure to get rid of unwelcome foreigner mounted even further: Colorado’s Governor Edwin Johnson ordered all “Mexicans” to leave the state. That definition apparently covered anyone who looked Latino, including people from New Mexico, Mexican immigrants who had already become US citizens, and American-born children. When there was little response to that order, Johnson briefly called out the militia to blockade Colorado’s southern border to prevent people from returning. Despite the repatriations and deportations, however, Boulder County’s Latino population continued to grow across the 1930s. This topic invites comparison with the deportations at the present time by ICE (Immigration Control and Enforcement) and the blocking of Arizona’s southern border.

Teaching Boulder County Latino History is an extension of the Boulder County Latino History Project. This site provides resources for those interested in teaching Boulder County Latino History. The teaching resources are grounded in the books written by CU Boulder’s Distinguished Professor Marjorie McIntosh.

There are three central components to this site. The Lesson Database provides lessons for K-12 teachers. Each lesson uses primary sources and is grounded in the books by Prof. McIntosh. Beyond the curated lessons teachers are encouraged to explore the Primary Source Sets and access the full text of Prof. McIntosh’s books. The book outlines link lesson plans and primary sources to each chapter. Teachers and students are welcome to download all or parts of the books to support their learning.

Our Work

Lesson Topics

Businesses Celebrations/ ceremonies Children Civil rights activity Culture/ identity issues Deportation Education/ schools Employment, manufacturing/ unskilled Employment, professional/ skilled Families Farm work/ agriculture/ ranching Food/ cooking Government/ government programs/ laws Health/ medicine/ healing Houses/ living places Immigration Interviews done in 2013 Labor unions/ strikes Languages (Spanish and English) Mexico/ Mexicans Migrant workers Mining Music/ dancing/ art/ recreation Neighborhoods New Mexico/ New Mexicans Organizations/ clubs Police/ Sheriffs/ I.C.E. officials Political or community participation Quantitative information Racism/ discrimination/ segregation Religion/ churches Soldiers/ wars/ veterans Sports/ outdoor activities Transportation/ cars University of Colorado/ college students Women Work done by women and children

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CU Office for Outreach and Engagement/ University of Colorado Boulder

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