Mexican Migrant (Bracero) Workers Photo Display

Bracero Guest Worker Program Photos

The Bracero Guest Worker Program (1942-1964) was enacted through several bilateral agreements signed by the United States and Mexico between 1942 and 1964. It brought thousands of Mexican men to the United States as short-term workers (primarily in agriculture and the railroads), to support the national war effort in World War II and later the Korean War. The term bracero came from brazos (arms in Spanish) and reflected the intense physical labor demanded of these workers. These undated photos come from the Ernesto Galarza archives. He was one of the early activists of the Mexican American civil rights movement who brought to light the abuses endured by braceros.

They capture the recruiting process in Mexico: from a large outdoor gathering at a bullring to completing paperwork at an indoor facility, and the final steps for those selected as they lined up for a medical exam and fingerprinting.