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Episode summary: Gary Gerstle explores the forgotten history of Mexican deportations from the southern United States in the 1930’s and asks how it fits into the longer story of US immigration policy up until today. From open borders to ‘Build That Wall’: what’s next? Talking Points: Immigrant labour has always been vital to U.S. economic development. - The United States presented itself as being a different kind of society. This was partially ideological, and partially a labour imperative. In the early 20th century, the labour imperative became less acute. - America still thought of itself as a Protestant society. - In this period, the United States implemented draconian immigration restrictions, including racialized quotas. - The fear of revolutionary organized labour also affected quotas. The Jews and the Italians were targeted due to anxiety over communism and anarchism. Immigration from Mexico has always been a slightly different story. - The restrictive immigration laws of the 1920s excluded the western hemisphere.…

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