Maligned Braceros Rhetorical Analysis

In "Maligned Braceros: Kicking Out Immigrants Doesn't Raise Wages," the author paralleled today's anti-immigration rhetoric with that of the 1960s, when President Kennedy ended the bracero program, saying the usage of Mexican guest workers caused depressed wages and job loss for Americans. However, research shows that ending the bracero program did not result in higher wages and more work for Americans; instead, American workers were replaced by machines (Maligned Braceros, 2017). In a time when immigration is a contentious topic, "Maligned Braceros" provides readers with a thought-provoking example of past immigration policies and their implications, prompting consideration of the economic reasoning for immigration and contemplation of which immigration policies are most effective. …show more content…
For example, “The imbalance between the structural demand for entry-level workers and the limited domestic supply of such workers has generated an underlying, long-run demand for immigrants in developed countries" (Massey, Durand & Malone, 2002). Essentially, developed nations have a demand for unskilled labor. Because people typically believe that occupation and pay should correlate, employers cannot attract unskilled workers by raising wages without feeling pressure to proportionately increase the wages of upper-level jobs. Therefore, employers searching for low-wage workers often turn to immigrants. "Maligned Braceros" provides a historical example of what will likely happen if the illegal immigrant workforce is removed: instead of hiring Americans at a higher cost, employers will replace workers with