It all started in the 1960s — everything always starts in the 1960s! In his new book, A Race For The Future, Heritage Foundation Senior Fellow Mike Gonzalez argues that government intervention in that fateful decade laid the foundation for our modern immigration crisis.
Under the bracero program (1942-1964), Gonzalez writes, “Hundreds of thousands of circular workers entered the United States from Mexico every year (and then left)…” But the bracero program was ended, he avers, because the unions hated it. “Guest workers don’t pay union dues,” is the line he attributes to former California GOP Chairman Ron Nehring.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (aka the Hart Celler Act) was also to blame. Prior to the law, Gonzalez says, “There had been no limit on Latin Americans.” Ironically, by placing a limit on immigration, “illegal immigration from Mexico went through the roof.” (Anyone who understands scarcity and supply and demand might might have predicted this.)
Unfortunately, Gonzalez believes the rise of the welfare state, which occurred around the same time, means it’s impossible to go back to the way things used to be. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have solutions.
While the best parts of this book deal with explaining the little-known history of America’s immigration policies, Gonzalez’s subtitle, “How conservatives can break the liberal monopoly on Hispanic Americans,” hints at his solution — as well as his hopes for the future.
You can listen to my full conversation with Mike Gonzalez here. And download the podcast in iTunes.