Democracy Dies in Darkness
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‘Inhumane’ Mexican worker program commemorated in U.S.

The Rio Vista Bracero Reception Center in South Texas processed millions of Mexican guest workers, spraying them with insecticide before allowing them into the country.

By
May 13, 2024 at 5:19 p.m. EDT
Braceros wait in line at the Rio Vista Farm Reception Center in Socorro, Texas. During peak seasons, up to 1,800 men per day filled short-term labor contracts to help address agricultural worker shortages. (Courtesy of USCIS History Office and Library)
5 min

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Sebastian Corral still remembers having his hands checked for calluses 73 years ago as a would-be agricultural worker at the Rio Vista Bracero Reception Center in Socorro, Tex.