The Bracero Program- Elementary School

Imagine if you had a giant farm with millions of crops ready to be picked, but you didn’t have enough workers to harvest the food before it spoiled. That is exactly what happened in the United States during World War II.

Because many American workers left their jobs to serve in the military overseas, the U.S. government turned to its neighbor, Mexico, for help. In 1942, the two countries created a special agreement called the Bracero Program.

The word bracero comes from the Spanish word brazo, which means "arm." So, a bracero was a person who worked using the strength of their arms!

Under the program, millions of Mexican men came to the United States on temporary work contracts.

• The braceros worked in fields picking crops like tomatoes, cotton, sugar beets, and grapes. Some also worked on the railways fixing train tracks.

• They did not move to America forever. They came to work for a few months or a year at a time, earned money, and then returned home to their families in Mexico.

• Between 1942 and 1964, around 4.5 million contracts were given to Mexican workers!

Even though the braceros worked very hard to keep food on American tables, they were not always treated fairly.

• Many workers had to live in crowded, dirty barracks with poor food and water.

• Employers often paid them less money than promised or took out fees for food and tools that were way too high.

• The work was very dangerous, and workers were exposed to harsh heat and chemicals without proper safety gear.

Because of these unfair conditions, farm leaders (including famous heroes like César Chávez and Dolores Huerta) spoke out against the program. The U.S. government finally ended the Bracero Program in 1964.

Why is the Bracero Program Important Today?

Even though the program ended decades ago, its impact is still felt across the United States today:

Today, the U.S. still relies on temporary workers to help harvest food. The government has a program called the H-2A visa, which lets farmworkers from other countries come to work in the U.S. for a short time—just like the braceros did!

Many Mexican Americans living in the United States today are the children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of braceros. The program created strong family ties and migration paths between Mexico and the U.S. that still exist today.

The struggles faced by the braceros helped inspire modern laws that protect farmworkers. Today, advocates continue to fight to make sure that the people who grow and pick our food are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect.