Trump wants to remove these immigrants. An ugly bit of history tells us what it could do to the economy

The following article by Andrew Van Dam was posted on the Washington Post website January 10, 2018:

“Mexican men and children who live in corral.” Robstown, Texas, 1939. (Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration via Library of Congress)

It isn’t cited much in contemporary debate, but one enormous, racist episode in U.S. history could forecast the potential economic fallout of the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the residency permits of those granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States.

Between 1929 and 1934, Americans were getting hammered by the Great Depression. As their anger and frustration grew, it was directed toward America’s Mexican population. During the ’30s, an estimated 400,000 and 500,000 Mexicans and American citizens of Mexican descent were sent “home,” often forcibly, by state and local officials, with the approval of the federal government. Continue reading “Trump wants to remove these immigrants. An ugly bit of history tells us what it could do to the economy”