[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 122 (Friday, October 1, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING THE BRACEROS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DOUG OSE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 30, 2004

  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate the achievements of Hispanic 
Americans during Hispanic Heritage Month, I stand to recognize a group 
of individuals, known as the Braceros, for their incredible 
contributions to our great nation during World War II.
  September 29th marked the Day of the Bracero. These brave men 
registered to leave their wives and children behind in their country of 
origin and homes, while they came to the United States as the 
``soldiers of the fields.'' The Braceros wore no uniform and received 
no medals, but today I rise to honor the Braceros just as I salute our 
World War II veterans, living and deceased, for their contributions to 
a safer world and democracy.
  This is merely a partial list of the hundreds of Braceros whose 
families live in my district:
  Antonio Silva; Jesus Fernandez; Julian Paras Aguilera; Jesus Sanchez 
Beltran; Amador Palafox Bustos; Exiquio Contreras Parra; Leonides 
Gomez; Arturo Venegas, Sr.; Jose Luis Figueroa Tamayo Jose Negrete 
Sanchez; Jose Dolores Magana Areas; Jose Ramirez Barajas; J. Jesus 
Torres Salas; Sr. Gutierrez; Alejandrino Arellano; Sr. Magana; Pedro de 
Luna; Roberto Mauzo; Jose F. Ramirez; Rodolfo Martinez Castillo; 
Modesto Martinez Rosas Ramon Barraza; Carlos Rodriguez; Julian Paras; 
Jose Guadalupe Ruiz Aguilar; Ruben Cortez Luna; Jose Isabel Viorato; 
Antonio Hernandez; Joaquin Mendez Mendez; Jesus Torres Salas Rodolfo 
Castaneda; Juan Reyes Garcia; Rodrigo Izquierdo; Jose Diaz; Conrado 
Cardenas; Lazaro Gonzalo; Martin Perez; Celedonio Perez; Jose Lua; 
Cecilio Santillana; Sotero Cervantes; Flores Timoteo; Juan Rico; 
Francisco Mariscal; Manuel Nava; Jesus Macias; Ruben Jarillo; Juan 
Rico; Juan Baes; Manuel Briceno; Arturo Romero Barajas; Jose Sanchez 
Rodriguez; Gonzalo Castaneda; Honorio Ramirez; Antonio Gutierrez; etc.
  World War II forced our nation to shift the economy. Throughout the 
war, upwards of 13 million men served in our nation, roughly one-tenth 
of the total population. While our servicemen were fighting across the 
oceans, millions more were working constant shifts in the factories to 
support the war effort. This resulted in a severe labor shortage in 
concentrated areas, such as agriculture.
  In an effort to minimize this loss of labor, the United States and 
Mexico entered into a bilateral agreement in August 1942 to provide 
contracted labor.
  These guest workers, known as Braceros, (a derivative of ``brazo'' 
literally meaning ``arm'') were recruited and hired to work in the 
fields and on the railroads across the United States.
  The first 1,500 Braceros to enter the United States arrived in 
California to work in the sugar beet fields outside of Stockton on 
September 29, 1942, where they worked until December 24th of that same 
year.
  Over the course of the next twenty-two years, as many as five million 
Braceros had participated in the program, supporting our critical 
infrastructure. Some of them would travel back and forth from the 
United States to Mexico over a century, each time leaving their wives 
and children behind again.
  Jesus Sanchez Beltran was a Bracero from Jalisco, Mexico, until the 
program ended. There were six in his family that he left behind to work 
in the California agriculture. His wife and children would only see him 
three months out of the year. Jesus' story reflects the sacrifice of 
all the Braceros.
  It was through their hard work that our nation was able to 
effectively sustain our agricultural economy as well as expand and 
maintain our railroads, resulting in a safe, reliable and effective 
means of transporting our food, medicine, troops and other supplies for 
the war.
  In 1964, the last Braceros fulfilled their contracts and the program 
came to an end. However, their contributions and the contributions of 
their descendants still last today.
  The President of the United States has called upon public officials, 
educators, librarians, and all the people of the Unites States to 
observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities and 
programs. May we honor their contributions and recognize the Braceros 
for their place in American history.

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