Ismael de Jesús Villalba Carrasco
subject: bracero
description: Ismael de Jesús Villalba Carrasco was born in Oacaca, México, on August 14, 1933; his mother’s name was María Cipriana Vega, and his father’s name was Camerina Villalba Reyes; Ismael had three brothers and two sisters; he married during his early twenties; in 1959, he enlisted in the bracero program; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona, California and Texas, picking chile, cotton, green beans, lettuce and tomatoes until 1964; he and his wife had three children; the family immigrated to the United States, and Ismael became a legal permanent resident. Summary of Interview: Mr. Villalba talks about his family and what his life was like growing up in México; during his early twenties he married; economic necessity drove him to enlist in the bracero program in 1959; his wife was reluctant to let him go for fear he would get sick, injured or not return; as part of the contracting process, he went through the center in Empalme, Sonora, México, where he waited for thirteen days; he underwent medical exams in México and the United States; moreover, he was also fumigated upon entering the United States; during this process, he suffered greatly, because he was treated like an animal; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arizona, California and Texas, picking chile, cotton, green beans, lettuce and tomatoes until 1964; he goes on to detail the various worksites, housing, accommodations, provisions, duties, routines, treatment, payments, deductions, remittances, friendships and recreational activities, including trips into town; in addition, he relates a few anecdotes about his experiences; he and his wife went on to have three children; the family immigrated to the United States, and Ismael became a legal permanent resident; overall, he has positive memories of the program, because it changed his life and allowed him to provide a better life for his wife and children.
creator: Shreibati, Annette
creator: Villalba Carrasco, Ismael de Jesús
contributor: Cristóbal Borges
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

Ismael Díaz de León
subject: Bracero
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Ismael Díaz de León was born on June 17, 1926, in El Paso, Texas; he and his family moved to Aguascalientes, México, when he was only two years old; in 1943, he became a bracero, and he worked primarily in the cornfields and picking apples in Washington; he continued to work as a bracero for the next fifteen years. Summary of Interview: Mr. Diaz briefly recounts his childhood; his father worked on the railroads in El Paso, Texas; when he was still young, his father became very ill and moved the family to Aguascalientes, México; his grandfather set up a business for his father there, and the family decided to stay; in 1943, he began the hiring process for the bracero program; at that time, the El Paso County Coliseum was the reception center for incoming braceros; his worst job was working in the cotton fields of Texas; while working in the fields he recalls that the workers would often sing songs to help pass the time.
creator: Parra-Mantilla, Myrna
creator: Díaz de León, Ismael
date: 2003-02-04
contributor: Cristóbal Borges
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

Ismael Rodríguez Rico
subject: Bracero
description: Ismael Rodríguez Rico is the eldest of his three brothers; when he was six years old, his father died; afterward, he and his brothers worked wherever they could; eventually, Ismael enlisted in the bracero program; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arkansas, California and Texas, cleaning, pruning and picking asparagus, beets, cotton, lettuce and tomatoes; he later immigrated to the United States, and he was ultimately able to obtain legal status. Summary of Interview: Mr. Rodríguez talks about his childhood and how sad it was, including his father’s death when he was only six years old; as a young man, he looked for work wherever he could find it; when he learned about the bracero program, he saw it as an opportunity to save money and help his family; in order to join, he had to put himself on the list of eligible workers; as part of the contracting process, he had to present his birth certificate, proof of military service and other documents; in addition, he was medically examined and deloused; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of Arkansas, California and Texas, cleaning, pruning and picking asparagus, beets, cotton, lettuce and tomatoes; he goes on to detail the various worksites, camp sizes, housing, duties, payments, correspondence and trips into town; while in Texas, he worked by contract, which enabled him to stop and rest when necessary; in contrast, when getting paid by the hour, foremen were constantly watching him, forcing him to stay hunched over and not allowing him to straighten up; in Arkansas, he and other men were given small notebooks to keep track of the amount of cotton they picked; in some camps, it was so hot that the men had to take salt pills; moreover, he mentions that his time as a bracero was very lonely, especially because the camps were so isolated from the towns, which left them surrounded by darkness; he later immigrated to the United States, and he was ultimately able to obtain legal status.
creator: Sifuentes, Mario
creator: Rodríguez Rico, Ismael
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

Ismael Z. Nicolás Osorio
subject: Bracero
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Ismael Osorio was born in June of 1923, in Chalcatongo de Hidalgo, Oaxaca, México; he went to school only through the sixth grade, because there were no secondary schools in his hometown; in 1944, he decided to begin the enrollment process for the Bracero Program; as a bracero, he worked in Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, and Washington, for a total of twelve years; he later emigrated to the United States, and he became a foreman for the Garing Company. Summary of Interview: Mr. Osorio briefly discusses his childhood and adolescence; he went to school only through the sixth grade, because there were no secondary schools in his hometown; while searching for a school, he became aware of the bracero contracting center in México, Distrito Federal; in spite of the rumors he had heard that he might have to fight in the war as a bracero, he decided to begin the enrollment process in 1944; he initially began the procedures by paying to get his name on the county’s list of workers in Oaxaca, México; from there, he traveled to Ciudad México, and finally to Irapuato, Guanajuato, where he had to wait for four months before obtaining a contract; he was then transported to El Paso, Texas, where he underwent medical examinations and was deloused; his first contract took him to Olympia, Washington, and a year later he was sent to California to work for the Harding Produce Company; he goes on to explain his various jobs and how he carried them out, methods of payment, living conditions, and the overall treatment he received; in addition, he describes the hierarchical chain of command he encountered at the various companies he worked in throughout his twelve years as a bracero; he was ultimately able to emigrate to the United States, and he went on to work as a foreman for the Garing Company.
creator: Bocanegra, Leti
creator: Nicolás Osorio, Ismael Z.
date: 2005-07-28
contributor: Cristóbal Borges
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

Ismael Zepeda

J. Carmen Quezada Morales
subject: bracero
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: J. Carmen Quezada Morales was born in 1928, in Manuel Doblado, Guanajuato, México; he is the eldest of his five sisters and two brothers; his parents were masons and campesinos; he was formally educated through the second grade; by the time he was twelve years old, he had already begun to sow the land; in 1949, he enlisted in the bracero program; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming, picking, cleaning, and pruning various fruits and vegetables. Summary of Interview: Mr. Quezada talks about his family, his parents in particular and their variety of trades; when the bracero program started in 1942, he often heard people talk about it; many men were afraid of being taken to war if they enlisted; in 1949, he joined the program, and he went with a group of friends to the contracting center in Irapuato, Guanajuato, México; he describes the long waiting time and the medical exams, including injections and blood samples; as a bracero, he labored in the fields of California, Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming, picking, cleaning, and pruning different fruits and vegetables; he goes on to detail the various worksites, camp sizes, housing, living, amenities, provisions, daily routines, payments, deductions, correspondence, working relationships, and recreational activities, including trips into town; his first time in the United States, he worked in Texas, and he explains how he was able to get more work after his contract ended; Texas was also the only place he saw undocumented workers; he also mentions that in Wyoming braceros were not always allowed in public establishments; moreover, he also talks about the tragic events surrounding the deaths of two of his children, Jesús and Moisés, while he was working in the United States; after completing several contracts, he returned to México, and he went on to have nine additional children with his wife; overall, he has both positive and negative memories…
creator: Loza, Mireya
creator: Quezada Morales, J. Carmen
date: 2007-07-22
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

Jack Bias, Executive Manager of the Grower, Shipper, Vegetable Assn. sits behind a desk in his office in Salinas, California and writes.
creator: Leonard Nadel
source: The Leonard Nadel Collection, NMAH. Catalogue #: 2004.0138.40.36; Negative #: NAD-2004.0138.40.36; Roll #: 40
publisher: National Museum of American History
date: 1956-00-00
contributor: National Museum of American History, Division of Work and Industry
rights: Restricted: no; Contact: NMAH Rights & Reproductions by email before distribution - rightsreproductions@si.edu
relation: See Nadel Footnotes 16

Jack Bias, Executive Manager of the Grower, Shipper, Vegetable Assn. sits behind a desk in his office in Salinas, California while looking up.
creator: Leonard Nadel
source: The Leonard Nadel Collection, NMAH. Catalogue #: 2004.0138.40.37; Negative #: NAD-2004.0138.40.37; Roll #: 40
publisher: National Museum of American History
date: 1956-00-00
contributor: National Museum of American History, Division of Work and Industry
rights: Restricted: no; Contact: NMAH Rights & Reproductions by email before distribution - rightsreproductions@si.edu
relation: See Nadel Footnotes 14

Jack Bias, Executive Manager of the Grower, Shipper, Vegetable Assn. sits in his office in Salinas, California.
creator: Leonard Nadel
source: The Leonard Nadel Collection, NMAH. Catalogue #: 2004.0138.40.40; Negative #: NAD-2004.0138.40.40; Roll #: 40
publisher: National Museum of American History
date: 1956-00-00
contributor: National Museum of American History, Division of Work and Industry
rights: Restricted: no; Contact: NMAH Rights & Reproductions by email before distribution - rightsreproductions@si.edu
relation: See Nadel Footnotes, 14.

Jack Bias, Executive Manager of the Grower, Shipper, Vegetable Assn. sits in his office in Salinas, California.
creator: Leonard Nadel
source: The Leonard Nadel Collection, NMAH. Catalogue #: 2004.0138.40.41; Negative #: NAD-2004.0138.40.41; Roll #: 40
publisher: National Museum of American History
date: 1956-00-00
contributor: National Museum of American History, Division of Work and Industry
rights: Restricted: no; Contact: NMAH Rights & Reproductions by email before distribution - rightsreproductions@si.edu
relation: See Nadel Footnotes, 14.

Jack Bias, Executive Manager of the Grower, Shipper, Vegetable Assn., and Ben Lopez, the field representative for the Growers Assn., talk in Bias' office in Salinas, California.
creator: Leonard Nadel
source: The Leonard Nadel Collection, NMAH. Catalogue #: 2004.0138.40.38; Negative #: NAD-2004.0138.40.38; Roll #: 40
publisher: National Museum of American History
date: 1956-00-00
contributor: National Museum of American History, Division of Work and Industry
rights: Restricted: no; Contact: NMAH Rights & Reproductions by email before distribution - rightsreproductions@si.edu
relation: See Nadel Footnotes, 14.

Jack Bias, Executive Manager of the Grower, Shipper, Vegetable Assn., and Ben Lopez, the field representative for the Growers Assn., talk in Bias' office in Salinas, California.
creator: Leonard Nadel
source: The Leonard Nadel Collection, NMAH. Catalogue #: 2004.0138.40.39; Negative #: NAD-2004.0138.40.39; Roll #: 40
publisher: National Museum of American History
date: 1956-00-00
contributor: National Museum of American History, Division of Work and Industry
rights: Restricted: no; Contact: NMAH Rights & Reproductions by email before distribution - rightsreproductions@si.edu
relation: See Nadel Footnotes, 14.

Jaime Rivas
subject: bracero
creator: Kalashnikova, Marina
creator: Rivas, Jaime
date: 2008-01-12
contributor: Cristóbal Borges
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

James Bourland
subject: Discusses working on a farm
creator: Melany Bowman
date: 2008-09-25
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: ENG

James Collins
creator: Mireya Loza
date: 2008-09-22
rights: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
language: English

Javier Cuzman, a bracero, shows his paycheck from the JJ Crossetti company in Watsonville, California.
creator: Leonard Nadel
source: The Leonard Nadel Collection, NMAH. Catalogue #: 2004.0138.31.39; Negative #: NAD-2004.0138.31.39; Roll #: 31
publisher: National Museum of American History
date: 1956-00-00
contributor: National Museum of American History, Division of Work and Industry
rights: Restricted: no; Contact: NMAH Rights & Reproductions by email before distribution - rightsreproductions@si.edu
relation: See Nadel Footnotes, 10.

Javier Cuzman, a bracero, shows his paycheck from the JJ Crossetti company in Watsonville, California.
creator: Leonard Nadel
source: The Leonard Nadel Collection, NMAH. Catalogue #: 2004.0138.31.40; Negative #: NAD-2004.0138.31.40; Roll #: 31
publisher: National Museum of American History
date: 1956-00-00
contributor: National Museum of American History, Division of Work and Industry
rights: Restricted: no; Contact: NMAH Rights & Reproductions by email before distribution - rightsreproductions@si.edu
relation: See Nadel Footnotes, 10.

Javier García Robles
subject: Bracero
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Javier García was born on May 23, 1937, in Estación Progreso, Durango, México; when he was eight years old, he began farming and working in the fields; the financial hardships he experienced during the 1950s led him to enroll in the bracero program in 1957; as a bracero, he worked in California picking and packaging tomatoes. Summary of Interview: Mr. García briefly recalls his family, childhood, and adolescence; in 1957, during his first year of marriage, he found himself out of work, and he decided to enroll in the bracero program; in order to begin the hiring process, he had to take a bus from Durango, Durango, to Guadalajara, Jalisco, México, and from there to the border; he details the various procedures of the hiring process at the contracting center in Guadalajara and the reception center in El Centro, California, as well as the medical examinations he underwent; as a bracero, he worked in California picking and packaging tomatoes; in addition, he describes what daily life was like for braceros on the farms, including work, wages, payments, contract extensions and amendments, housing, food, their weekend outings, and how they were treated by their American employers; he comments that the quality of the food was extremely poor, and they were also served very small portions; following his description of what his life was like after having worked as a bracero, he concludes that he is proud to have been part of the program because it benefited him greatly.
creator: Martínez, Laureano
creator: García Robles, Javier
date: 2003-05-28
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

Jesse Treviño
subject: Department of Labor; Insurance adjuster
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Jesse Treviño was born on December 25, 1925, in Harlingen, Texas; he was employed by the Department of Labor as a compliance officer; his office was in San Benito, Texas, but he also went to the bracero processing center in Harlingen, Texas, on a regular basis; he later worked for an insurance company that catered to the bracero community. Summary of Interview: Mr. Treviño recalls being employed by the Department of Labor as a compliance officer; his office was in San Benito, Texas, but he also went to the bracero processing center in Harlingen, Texas, on a regular basis; as a compliance officer, he ensured that the contracts between farmers and braceros were adhered to while working on behalf of the farmers; on average, it cost between seven and eleven dollars to process each worker, and the farmers had to pay them at least minimum wage or adequately based on the weight of cotton they picked; in addition, the farmers were required to provide medical and life insurance, clean beds, transportation, utensils with which to cook, and other such things; he goes on to describe how he often worked closely with members of the Mexican consulate, who worked on behalf of the braceros, to investigate cases; together, they were able to handle cases quickly and easily; while working as a compliance officer, he was discriminated against, and he was continually passed over for raises and promotions even though he was the only one with a college degree; in light of this, he left his job there, and began working with an insurance company that catered to the bracero community; there were a number of braceros who died due to sunstroke, and the company had to pay the families several thousands of dollars in compensation; he goes on to describe other experiences he had while working with the company.
creator: Vera, Homero S.
creator: Treviño, Jesse
contributor: Cristóbal Borges
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: eng

Jesús Aceves Gutiérrez
subject: bracero
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Jesús Aceves Gutiérrez was born on August 15, 1939, in Tototlán, Jalisco, México; he is the second oldest of eight brothers and five sisters; he received little formal schooling, but his mother taught him to read and write; in 1957, he joined the bracero program; he worked in Coachella, California picking cotton, dates, grapefruits, lemons, and oranges; he left the program in 1960 and later returned to California to pick dates. Summary of Interview: Mr. Aceves Gutiérrez recalls his childhood in Tototlán, Jalisco, México; he explains that his father was a wealthy man, and that his mother educated him; at age eleven, he began working in agriculture; he remembers joining the bracero program in 1957 and traveling to Empalme, Sonora, México for his contract; moreover, he relates what the contracting process was like, how he was treated by officials, and what physical exams he was given; he describes being taken to the border in trucks, and how he was deloused in El Centro, California; he expresses feeling humiliated during this process; furthermore, he explains how braceros were picked for work at El Centro and then taken to their worksites; he worked in Coachella, California until 1960, picking cotton, dates, grapefruits, lemons, and oranges; he details daily life as a bracero, the work he did, how much he was paid, and how many hours he worked; more specifically, he outlines the differences between getting hourly pay versus contract pay, as well as how deductions were made to his paychecks for food; he details bracero living arrangements, the bad quality of the food they received, and how they were treated by foremen; he also discusses labor unions that were developed in the fields; in addition, he remembers how he was discriminated against by police officers; he states he returned to Coachella with papers after the program finished; beyond his bracero experience, he relates that he is a writer and composer; he also states that he …
creator: Mena, Violeta
creator: Aceves Gutiérrez, Jesús
date: 2006-05-20
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

Jesús Andrade Rodríguez
subject: Bracero
description: Nombre del entrevistado: Jesús Andrade Rodríguez Fecha de la entrevista: 1º de febrero de 2003 Nombre del entrevistador: Laureano Martínez Esta es una entrevista con el señor Jesús Andrade Rodríguez en la ciudad de Durango, Durango el día primero de febrero de 2003. Dirigiendo la entrevista para el Proyecto Bracero del Instituto de Historia Oral de la Universidad de Texas en El Paso, Laureano Martínez. LM: Don Jesús, buenas tardes. JA: Buenas tardes. LM: Primero que nada don Jesús, quiero que me cuente, dónde y cuándo nació usted. JA: Nací en Escamilla, Municipio de Canatlán, Durango. En el estado de Durango. LM: ¿Cuándo fue eso? JA: En 1930 nací yo, el 15 de septiembre de 1930. LM: Muy bien. JA: Así es. LM: Cuénteme un poquito de ese lugar, ¿cómo es Escamilla? JA: Es una hacienda que tiene ya ahorita va en los doscientos años. Una hacienda de agricultura de los hacendados de antes, nomás que cuando vino la, la lía esa del agrarismo, mi padre y mis tíos hicieron solicitud para ejido. Y se hizo ejido pero muy raquíticamente según me platicaban mis tíos, mi papá pos no lo conocí. Sembraban con bueyes que les prestaban otras personas que tenían ganado. Entonces muy pobre, entonces nosotros le hicimos también a la agricultura económicamente. Pero no alcanzábamos para mantener nostra familia y empezó a haber ese programa de que contrataciones, empezó aquí en Durango y, y ya veníamos a contratarnos. LM: Cuénteme, ¿cómo se llamaba su papá? JA: Juan de Dios Andrade. LM: Y, ¿su mamá? JA: García, Catalina Rodríguez Valdez. LM: ¿Cuántos años tiene usted, don Jesús? JA: Yo tengo setenta y un año[s] cumplidos. LM: Setenta y un años. ¿Cuántos hermanos tuvo? JA: Tengo ahorita bueno, bueno todos, aunque hayan muertos, por nomás los que haya, aunque se hayan muerto. LM: No, no importa. JA: Sí, sí, pos tuve, era, Maclovio, David, Leonardo, ya murió pero, ¿usted me pregunta de todos los hermanos, verdad? LM: Sí. JA: ¿Con todo y hermanas?, o, puros hermanos. LM: Hermanas y hermanos. JA…
creator: Martínez, Laureano
creator: Andrade Rodríguez, Jesús
date: 2003-02-01
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

Jesús Aranda Morales
subject: Bracero
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Jesús Aranda Morales was born in Gran Morelos, Chihuahua, México, in 1936; he started working when he was only nine years old; years later, in 1957, at the age of twenty, he came to the United States; he worked in the cotton and cucumber fields of Texas and New Mexico and the beet fields of Nebraska and Montana. Summary of Interview: Mr. Morales traveled to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, in order to begin the hiring process for the bracero program; the only requirement was a Mexican Military ID card; he waited at El Trocadero, a processing center there in Chihuahua, for eight days to be hired; from there he was taken to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, where he had to pay $1.00 in order to get a place where he could spend the night; he was then sent to Rio Vista, a processing center in Socorro, Texas; he was then finally taken to Dell City, Texas, where there was a kind of Bracero Association; the ranchers would meet there to hire the braceros; he recalls that he and other braceros would use sign language to communicate with the ranchers; during their free time, they would pay 50¢ to see a movie.
creator: Parra-Mantilla, Myrna
creator: Aranda Morales, Jesús
publisher: Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
date: 2003-03-30
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

Jesús Arriaga Sierra
subject: bracero
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Jesús Arriaga Sierra was born on December 14, 1941, in Buenavista Chinantla, Puebla, México; he is one of five brothers; at age 13, he began working in agriculture; he was a bracero from 1963 to 1965, and he worked in California and Texas picking cotton and tomatoes. Summary of Interview: Mr. Arriaga Sierra recalls his childhood in Buenavista Chinantla, Puebla, México and growing up with five brothers; he states that he completed two full years of formal education; additionally, he remembers working in the fields since he was thirteen years old; at the age of twenty-one, he decided to join the bracero program due to economic necessity; he was contracted in Empalme, Sonora, México; in this interview, he describes what the process was like at Empalme, how he was treated, and the medical exams he was put through; once contracted, he recounts being taken to the US-México border in the El Paso, Texas area; he discusses how he was deloused and, afterwards, taken to a center for hiring; he worked as a bracero from 1963 to 1965 in California and Texas; in those years, he picked cotton and tomatoes; he describes what work was like as a bracero, the good treatment he received from foremen, and the difficulty of having to work bent over for most of the day; furthermore, he details that he labored Monday through Saturday, and he explains the pay he received as a bracero; he also discusses the deductions that were made from his paycheck for food; moreover, he recalls having much difficulty with Filipino foremen; to conclude, he states that he entered the United States as an undocumented worker in 1980, gained citizenship through amnesty, and brought his family to California in the late 1980s.
creator: Sandoval, Adriana
creator: Arriaga Sierra, Jesús
date: 2006-05-20
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

Jesús Bautista Rodríguez
subject: bracero
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Jesús Bautista Rodríguez was born in 1924, in Tonaya, Jalisco, México; he had three brothers and two sisters, both of whom passed away; they were all born on a ranch and came from a family of agricultural workers; his father hired a tutor for the children, but Jesús never liked school, consequently, only his brothers were formally educated; by the time he was twelve years old, both his parents had passed away; in 1956, Jesús enlisted in the bracero program, and he labored primarily in California, picking blackberries, cherries, pears, strawberries, and tomatoes; after the program ended, he worked in the United States illegally for a time, but he was later able to obtain legal documentation. Summary of Interview: Mr. Bautista briefly discusses his family and childhood; he was married in 1947, and he and his wife later had four children; by 1956, his wife became very ill, which prompted him to enlist in the bracero program in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México; from there he was transported to Empalme, Sonora, México, then to Mexicali, Baja California, México, where he underwent medical examinations; as a bracero, he labored primarily in California, picking blackberries, cherries, pears, strawberries, and tomatoes; he goes on to detail the different worksites, duties, schedules, living conditions, provisions, housing, accommodations, payments, and remittances; in addition, he describes an instance in which a foreman separated him and eleven other men from the rest of the braceros to offer them permanent work, housing, and the opportunity to bring their families to the United States; he turned down the chance, because he wanted to return to México, with his family, where he was most comfortable; furthermore, he explains that as a bracero he was paid poorly and often just earned enough to pay for food; even so, he was able to pay off his home in México; after the program ended, he worked in the United States illegally for a time, but he w…
creator: Shreibati, Annette
creator: Bautista Rodríguez, Jesús
date: 2006-05-26
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa

Jesús Campos Ortiz
subject: bracero
description: Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Jesús Campos Ortiz was born in 1943, in Aquila, Michoacán, México; he was the fifth born of his six brothers and four sisters; by the time he was eight years old, he was working to help support his younger siblings; consequently, he was never formally educated; he became a bracero in the early sixties, when he was roughly seventeen years old, using false papers; one of his uncles and a few of his cousins were also braceros; by the mideighties he and his family had all legally immigrated to the United States. Summary of Interview: Mr. Campos describes his hometown, family, and childhood; in the early sixties, when he was roughly seventeen years old, he enlisted in the bracero program using false papers that his father had acquired for him; he explains various aspects of the contracting process in México, including organization by municipalities, necessary paperwork, exams, and travel methods; moreover, he notes that his uncle was injured as a result of the medical assessments he underwent; Jesús goes on to detail worksites, duties, hours, housing, provisions, treatment, payments, remittances, recreational activities, and working relationships; in addition, he describes being in the United States for the first time and becoming so ill that he had to be taken to the hospital; he thinks it was due in large part to the pressure of being away from home; while working in Woodland, California, he and others were paid 13¢ per box of tomatoes, which caused some to organize a strike for higher pay; although he was not involved, he was still treated poorly and faced other difficulties in light of the situation; he also mentions an instance where he and a friend were loading a truck, his friend fainted and was taken to a hospital by ambulance; while discussing employers he notes that many ranchers preferred undocumented workers, because they did not require the same pay or benefits as braceros; by the mideighties he, his wife, and all seven …
creator: Mena, Violeta
creator: Campos Ortiz, Jesús
date: 2006-05-26
rights: Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso
language: spa